Season: MLR 2026

The 9th season of Major League Rugby saw the merging of the San Diego Legion and Rugby FC LA to form the California Legion, as well as the withdrawal of multiple teams to take the league from 11 sides in 2025, to 6 in 2026.

Nick Boyer

California native Nick Boyer played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the San Diego Legion (2018-2019, 2024), the Colorado Raptors (2020), the LA Giltinis (2021), the Houston SaberCats (2021-2023), and the Seattle Seawolves (2025-2026).

A product of the University of California, Berkeley, Nick Boyer made his test debut for the USA Eagles as Eagle #530 in November 2018, as injury coverage. This was shortly after his debut MLR season with the San Diego Legion in 2018, the league’s first season. He appeared in 8 of the Legion’s 9 games in 2018, starting 6 and scoring his first MLR try. Boyer followed up his debut season with a career-best 17 caps for the Legion in 2019 (11 starts), scoring a career-best 6 tries and 35pts as the Legion advanced to the MLR Championship Final, falling 23-26 to the Seattle Seawolves on the last play of the game. Boyer moved from the Legion to the Colorado Raptors for the 2020 season, appearing in all 5 games (2 starts) and scoring 2 tries before the COVID-19 Pandemic forced the cancellation of the season, after which the Raptors pulled out of MLR.

Boyer was briefly on the LA Giltinis roster for the 2021 season, before being traded to the Houston SaberCats, with whom he played between 2021-2023, Boyer spent 3 seasons with the Houston SaberCats, earning 36 caps (15 starts) and scoring 9 tries in total. Boyer is one of the most capped players in MLR history, earning 66 combined caps (34 starts) through his first 6 seasons in the league, scoring 18 tries and 99pts total. As of the conclusion of the 2023 season, Boyer was the T-13th all-time leading try scorer in MLR history, and had earned 9 MLR team of the week selections. On 6th December 2023, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Nick Boyer for the 2024 season, returning to the team he represented between 2018-2019.

Boyer earned another start and 9 appearances for the Legion in 2024, taking his MLR career total to 75 at the end of the Legion’s season, once again at the hands of the Seattle Seawolves. Boyer did not return for the Legion in 2025, but on 10th May 2025, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Nick Boyer for the remainder of the 2025 season. He earned his Seawolves debut during Seattle’s Round 12 clash with the Utah Warriors, earning a First XV selection on his Seawolves debut. Boyer scored a pair of tries for the Seawolves to take his career total to 20, and started 5 of his 6 games, adding over 100m gained in possession. On 27th February, 2026, the Seattle Seawolves announced the return of Boyer for a 2nd season with the team, and ninth in Major League Rugby.

Achievements:
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 4
  • MLR Runner-Up: 2019 (San Diego Legion)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Championship Final
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 4

Luke White

US-eligible Australian Luke White played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the Glendale (later Colorado) Raptors (2018-2020), the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

White hails from Sydney, where his rugby journey started at Saint Ignatius College, Riverview, a leading rugby school in Australia. He joined the Manly Marlins for the 2010/11 Shute Shield before attending the Australian College of Physical Education between 2012-2015, before moving to the United States and settling in Glendale, Colorado. White joined the Raptors that year, playing there until joining the Denver Stampede for the short-lived PRO Rugby competition (the spiritual predecessor to MLR) before returning to the Raptors. He proved to be a versatile forward, able to play in all 3 rows of the pack. White represented the Raptors during the early years of Major League Rugby, appearing in all 10 games during the league’s inaugural season which saw the Raptors advance to the Championship Final only to fall to the Seattle Seawolves 19-23. In 2019 White recorded over 1,200m gained and finished 6th in the league. He earned a total of 31 MLR caps for the Raptors through 3 seasons, including the truncated 2020 season where he started all 5 games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this, the Raptors withdrew from MLR and would eventually join the South American Super Rugby Americas as the American Raptors.

Following the withdrawal of the Raptors and the return of MLR, White signed with the Australian-heavy LA Giltinis for their inaugural season in 2021. He earned 7 appearances for the Giltinis, starting 5 and scoring 1 try as LA advanced to White’s 2nd Championship Final, this time finishing on the winning side as the Giltinis defeated Rugby ATL 31-17 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. White returned with the Giltinis in 2022, doubling his appearances to 14 with 11 starts in the regular season before the LA Giltinis (along with their sister team, the Austin Gilgronis) were disqualified from the season due to alleged salary cap breaches. Both teams subsequently folded in the 2022 offseason. In the subsequent Expansion/Dispersal draft, White was selected 14th overall by the Chicago Hounds expansion side, and signed a multi-year contract ahead of their inaugural season in 2023. For the Hounds, White tied his career high in tries scored (3), doing so in 12 appearances (all starts) while racking up 680m gained with ball in hand and delivering over 100 successful tackles. Following a strong season with the Hounds, Luke White earned his test debut as USA Eagle #561 in August 2023, and has earned 5 test caps to date.

The Hounds confirmed the return of Luke White for the 2024 season on January 3rd, 2024 where he scored another try in 15 games (10 starts) as the Hounds qualified for the MLR post-season, but White did not feature. Through his first 7 seasons in MLR, Luke White earned 80 MLR caps (64 starts), scoring 9 tries. He was the 13th player in MLR history to reach 50 caps in the competition, on 8th May, 2022. White earned his first test caps for the USA following the 2023 MLR season, playing No. 8 during the USA’s RWC qualifying campaign, as well as the La Vila cup in Spain in the fall.

On October 16th, 2024, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Luke White for the 2025 MLR season, along with Bryce Campbell and Noah Brown. White appeared in all 18 games for the Chicago Hounds during the 2025 season, scoring his 10th MLR try and taking his career total to 98 MLR appearances (66 starts). He recorded 98 tackles to take his career total to just under 750, and sits on 3,904m gained in possession. With the Chicago Hounds announcing the return of Luke White for his 9th season in 2026, he is almost guaranteed to pass 4000m gained as well as earn his 100th Major League Rugby appearance.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 1
  • 13th Player in MLR History to Reach 50 Caps
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 9
  • MLR Champion: 2021 (LA Giltinis)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 6
  • MLR Runner-Up: 2018 (Glendale Raptors)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 9

Ronan Murphy

California native Ronan Murphy played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season, and again between 2024-2026. He represented the Austin Gilgronis (2022), the Houston SaberCats (2024-2025), and the California Legion (2026).

A former USA U20 player and Rudy Scholz Award nominee, Murphy joined the Austin Gilgronis organisation after playing at Trinity College in Dublin. He earned 3 MLR caps (all starts) with the AGs in 2022 before the team was disqualified from the 2022 MLR season and ceased operations shortly after the season’s conclusion. Murphy signed with the American Raptors crossover team during their Fall season, and toured with the USA Falcons to Uruguay. He stayed with the Raptors for their inaugural season in Super Rugby Americas in 2023, earning a number of SRA Team of the Week selections.

On 5th October 2023, the Houston SaberCats announced the signing of Ronan Murphy for the 2024 MLR season, where he appeared in all 17 SaberCats games, starting 15 of them and scoring 6 tries, as well as gaining over 400m in possession and finishing T-8th in MLR Tackling, with 172 completed. The SaberCats finished as the top MLR team during the regular season with a record of 14-2, but were stunned by the Dallas Jackals in the Western Conference Semifinal, falling 22-34 to their Texas rivals. On November 15th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of Ronan Murphy for their 2025 campaign where he scored a 7th MLR try and started 2 of his 6 games in an injury-affected season, helping the Houston SaberCats to a 14-2 regular season record, and finishing the year as a MLR Runner-up with the ‘Cats.

With the surprise withdrawal of the Houston SaberCats from MLR during the 2025/26 off-season, Murphy returned to his native California to sign with the California Legion ahead of their inaugural season in 2026. The team announced the addition of Ronan Murphy on 9th February, 2026.

Achievements:

  • 2025 MLR Runner-Up: Houston SaberCats
  • T-8th in MLR Tackling: 2024 (172)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 1

Payton Telea-Ilalio

California native Payton Telea-Ilalio played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season, and again between 2024-2026. He represented the Austin Gilgronis (2022), the San Diego Legion (2024-2025), and Anthem RC (2026).

While playing with St. Mary’s College, the American prop won the Rudy Scholtz award during the 2019/20 season, recognising the best collegiate rugby player in the US. He was signed by the Austin Gilgronis in April 2022 for the remainder of that year’s MLR season, and earned 5 appearances (2 starts), scoring 2 tries. Following Austin’s disqualification and subsequent cessation of operations following the 2022 season, Telea signed with the American Raptors for their inaugural season in Super Rugby Americas in 2023.

Telea-Ilalio earned 12 appearances (8 starts) and scored 2 tries for the Raptors in the predominantly South American competition. Following his season with the Raptors, a then-25yo Payton Telea-Ilalio returned to MLR and signed with the San Diego Legion ahead of the 2024 season. This signing was announced by the Legion on 3rd November 2023. Telea scored 1 try in 14 games (10 starts) for San Diego in 2024 as the Legion qualified for the playoffs with a 11-5 record, where he earned a MLR Team of the Week selection for his performance in Round 10. He started their Western Conference Semifinal clash with the Seattle Seawolves, as they fell 30-28 to their MLR rivals.

Following the 2024 MLR season, Telea was included in the USA Eagles squad for their 2024 PNC campaign, and earned his debut as Eagle #580 off the bench in the PNC 3rd place playoff, as the USA fell 18-13 to Samoa in a tight game in Japan. On 1st November 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Payton Telea-Ilalio for the 2025 MLR season. He earned a career high 13 starts for the Legion in 2025, scoring 1 try and recording 133 tackles to more than double his career total. Telea-Ilalio earned 3 MLR Team of the Week nominations in 2025 despite a disappointing season for the San Diego Legion as a whole, who missed out on the postseason by a single point. Following the Legion merging with Rugby FC LA in the 2025 offseason to create the California Legion, Telea-Ilalio tested the market as a free agent and on 15th November 2025, Anthem RC announced his signing for their 2026 season.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 10

Faka’osi Pifeleti

California-born front row Faka’osi Pifeleti played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the San Diego Legion (2018-2021, 2023-2024) the Austin Gilgronis (2022), and the Chicago Hounds (2025-2026).

Of Tongan heritage, Pifeleti moved to England at an early age. He played with the Saracens Storm with younger brother Kapeli Pifeleti, and they played together for the Legion in 2019 before Kapeli returned to Saracens in the English Premiership. Faka’osi spent his first 4 season in MLR with the San Diego Legion, earning 39 caps (26 starts) between 2018-2021 and scoring 4 tries. He was one of only two players in all 18 games for the Legion during their 2019 campaign (with Paddy Ryan), in which they advanced to the Championship Final, falling 23-26 to the Seattle Seawolves on the last play of the game. Following the 2021 season, Pifeleti earned his test debut for the United States in October, against the All Blacks.

Pifeleti signed with the Austin Gilgronis ahead of the 2022 season, earning 13 caps (7 starts) for the AGs during the regular season. Despite finishing at the top of the Western Conference, the Gilgronis were disqualified from the 2022 season (along with the LA Giltinis) prior to the Championship Series due to alleged salary Cap violations, and folded shortly afterwards. Pifeleti returned to the Legion for the 2023 season, earning another 15 appearances as they again advanced to the Championship Final, this time falling 24-25 to the New England Free Jacks in Chicago. Through the 2023 season, Pifeleti had earned 67 caps in Major League Rugby (46 starts), 54 of them with the Legion, and scored 8 tries total. Despite an impressive career in MLR, Pifeleti only earned his first Team of the Week selection in 2023

On 27th December 2023, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Faka’osi Pifeleti for the 2024 MLR season, where he added 5 further appearances (3 starts) during an injury-affected season. On 1st November 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Faka’osi Pifeleti for the 2025 MLR season. It is unclear if the Hounds acquired Pifeleti via a trade, or if he signed as a free agent. Pifeleti earned a career high 15 starts in 2025, starting all of his appearances for the Hounds and recording his first 100+ tackle season with 110, taking his career total over 500. On 17th December 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Faka’osi Pifeleti for his 2nd season with the Hounds, and 9th in Major League Rugby

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • 2023 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 15
  • 17th Player in MLR history to reach 50 caps (May 21, 2022)
  • 2019 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion

Mark O’Keeffe

Irish centre/wing Mark O’Keeffe played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2026. He represented Rugby United New York (2019-2020), Rugby ATL (2021), the Austin Gilgronis (2022), and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

Prior to MLR, O’Keeffe played with Lansdowne FC in Division 1A of the Ulster Bank All-Ireland League. He had also played with the Leinster U19s and Connacht U20s in his youth. His initial move stateside was announced by Rugby United New York in January 2019 ahead of their inaugural season in MLR that year. He earned 14 caps in his debut season (13 starts), scoring 4 tries as the Roosters made the playoffs in their first season. O’Keeffe remained in New York for the 2020 season, earning 3 more caps (all starts) and another try before COVID-19 shut the season down after only 5 rounds.

O’Keeffe has been a stalwart in the starting lineups of every team he has been in, earning a total of 67 caps (61 starts) across 4 MLR franchises through the 2024 regular season, and has played in the inaugural seasons of 2 of those clubs, Rugby United New York in 2019, and the Chicago Hounds in 2023. While representing Rugby ATL in the 2021 season, O’Keeffe earned 4 MLR Team of the Week selections, only NY’s Nate Brakeley received more (5). For his performance in 2021, he was awarded an All-MLR 2nd XV selection. O’Keeffe has scored over 5 tries in 2 seasons, with a high of 8 in 14 games (all starts) for the Austin Gilgronis in 2022 when he finished T-7th league-wide in try scoring and 9th league-wide for Meters Gained, with 1,215m, bettering his effort from 2021 earning an All-MLR 1st XV selection. As of the conclusion of the 2024 season, O’Keeffe had scored 25 tries in MLR, placing him T-9th All-Time.

Along with his 2021 All-MLR 2nd XV and 2022 All-MLR 1st XV selections O’Keeffe has earned 11 Team of the Week selections, at least two for every team he has represented. On 22nd November 2023, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Mark O’Keeffe for the 2024 MLR season, just before the start of which it came out that World Rugby had granted O’Keeffe US-eligibility along with fellow Irishman and former New York and ATL teammate Will Leonard. This means that for matchday rosters, O’Keeffe will count as a domestic player rather than against the team’s international count. On November 16th, 2024, O’Keeffe earned his international debut for the USA as Eagle #584 in a dominant 36-17 victory over Tonga in France.

On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Mark O’Keeffe for a third season with the team, and 7th in Major League Rugby. That year, he added a 26th career MLR try, starting 7 of his 12 appearances after suffering an injury early in the year. He passed 400 career tackles completed and added 231m gained for 4770m in his career, the 6th highest MGained total in MLR history. On 28th October 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of O’Keeffe for a 4th season as a Hound, and 8th in MLR.

Achievements:
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 1
  • T-7th in MLR Try Scoring: 2022 (8)
  • 9th in MLR Meters Gained: 2022 (1,215m)
  • 2022 All-MLR 1st XV Selection: 2022 Austin Gilgronis
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 1
  • 2021 MLR Runner-Up: Rugby ATL
  • 2021 All-MLR 2nd XV Selection: Rugby ATL
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 7

Ruben de Haas

South African born, Arkansas raised scrumhalf Ruben de Haas played in Major League Rugby in 2021, and again between 2025-2026. He represented the Austin Gilgronis (2021), the NOLA Gold (2025), and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

De Haas was born in George in South Africa’s Western Cape, before emigrating to the US at the age of 10, settling in Arkansas in 2009. He played football through high school at Jessieville HS, while also playing club rugby with one of only two teams in Arkansas at the time, the Little Rock Junior Stormers. De Haas represented the USA U19s in their 2016 tour of Ontario, Canada, captaining the team before playing with the U20s that same year in the World Rugby Trophy. The following year he represented the USA Selects in the Pacific Rugby Challenge while also signing an academy contract with the Free State Cheetahs organisation, playing with the U19s. He played with CUT IXIAS in the 2018 Varsity Cup, also earning his test debut for the USA at the age of 19 as Eagle #522 against Chile in February 2018. He played with the Cheetahs through 2020, representing the team in the Currie Cup as well as the Pro 14 and Super Rugby, before making his first move to MLR, with the Austin Gilgronis.

De Haas started 4 of his 6 appearances for the AGs in 2021, before heading to Europe and signing with Saracens in the English Premiership, where he played from 2021-2023. Following 2 years in the Premiership, de Haas returned to the Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup, where he is the third generation of his family to play for the club. He has become the USA national teams’ go-to number 9 in recent years, representing the Eagles at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and is still a regular starting 9 in 2024. On January 3rd, 2025, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Ruben de Haas on a 5-month loan deal for the 2025 season, returning to MLR for the first time in 4 seasons. Unsurprisingly, de Haas set career highs across the board in 2025, starting 6 of his 13 appearances for the NOLA Gold and running for just shy of 150m gained. His loan period with the Gold ended at the same time as his 2yr deal with the Cheetahs, making De Haas a free agent.

What was a disappointing season for the NOLA Gold in 2025 would turn out to be their last in MLR, with the team announcing their withdrawal in August of that year. On 14th November 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the addition of De Haas for the 2026 MLR season.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 9

Jake Turnbull

US-Eligible Australian prop Jake Turnbull played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2018-2019), Old Glory DC (2020), the Austin Gilgronis (2021-2022), the Seattle Seawolves (2023), Anthem RC (2024-2025), and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

Sydney native Turnbull attended Waverly College between 2006-2011 where he played rugby throughout, before representing the Eastern Suburbs in the Australian Shute Shield competition between 2012-2017. Turnbull had moved to Denver, Colorado in 2015, playing for the Pre-MLR Glendale Raptors in the Pacific Rugby Championship before returning to the Easts in NSW. He represented the Denver Stampede during the short-lived PRO Rugby competition, the first Professional rugby league in the USA and the spiritual predecessor to MLR.

Turnbull returned to Australia in 2017 and attended the Australian College of Physical Education earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Business, Sport and Exercise. In the fall of 2017 Turnbull signed with the Houston SaberCats as both a player and an Academy and Youth Development Coach. He represented the SaberCats for the first 2 seasons on Major League Rugby, earning 5 starts in 20 appearances and scoring his first MLR try. Even after suffering a broken foot prior to the 2018 season, Turnbull earned his first MLR Team of the Week Selection in Round 3 of the inaugural season.

Turnbull left the SaberCats and represented Old Glory DC for their inaugural MLR season in 2020, earning 3 starts in 5 appearances before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season after only 5 rounds. Following the cancellation, Turnbull returned to Australia and the Shute Shield once more, this time representing Randwick. He returned to the USA with MLR for the 2021 season, now representing the Austin Gilgronis whom he played with for 2 seasons, earning 26 appearances and 13 starts for the AGs, scoring 5 tries. On 28th May 2022, Turnbull became the 18th player in MLR history to reach 50 caps in the competition. Prior to the 2022 Championship Series, the #1 seeded Austin Gilgronis, along with their sister team the LA Giltinis, were disqualified from the 2022 season for alleged breaches of the salary cap. Both clubs folded following the season and in the subsequent Expansion/Dispersal draft, Turnbull was selected 29th overall by the Seattle Seawolves, with whom he signed for the 2023 season.

Turnbull, now on his 4th MLR team, appeared in all 18 of the Seawolves’ games during 2023. He earned 6 starts in his 16 appearances during the regular season, scoring 3 tries and appeared in both Championship Series games off the bench as the Seawolves advanced to the Western Conference Final where they fell to the San Diego Legion. Following the 2023 season, Turnbull earned his test debut with the USA as Eagle #562 in the September internationals (serving as RWC warm-ups for qualified teams) and the La Vila Cup in Spain, which the USA won.

Through his first 6 seasons in MLR, Jake Turnbull has started 27 of his 69 MLR caps and has scored 9 tries in total. On 15th January 2024, the Seattle Seawolves traded Turnbull to Anthem RC, an expansion side for the 2024 season, in exchange for 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (Unknown). Jake Turnbull was the first player named in Anthem RC history and captained them through their inaugural season, scoring 2 tries in 14 appearances (13 starts) and completing over 150 tackles, quite high for a prop. Anthem RC put together improving performances in their first season despite their 0-16 record, and Turnbull was named as their 2024 Forward of the Year. Anthem RC confirmed the return of Jake Turnbull for his 2nd season with the team when they revealed their full 2025 roster on January 21st, 2025. He scored a further 3 tries in 14 games in 2025, starting 10 times and recording over 100 tackles for his 2nd successive season to take his career total to just shy of 700 tackles in 97 career MLR appearances (50 starts).

On 18th December 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the addition of Jake Turnbull for his 9th Major League Rugby season in 2026, marking the 6th team of his MLR career. Turnbull earned 6 appearances for the Hounds in their dominant 2026 season, earning 2 starts including his 100th MLR appearance in a huge Round 9 victory over the Seattle Seawolves. He is the 7th player in MLR history to reach 100 games played in the competition. Two of his 6 appearances in 2026 came in the postseason, coming off the bench in both the Semifinal and the Championship Game to help the Chicago Hounds secure the 2026 MLR Shield with a perfect 12-0 season. Following the MLR campaign, Turnbull headed to New Zealand and on 21st July 2026 he was included in the Wellington Lions squad for their NPC campaign that year.

achievements

Conner Mooneyham

California born winger Conner Mooneyham played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He was the first ever MLR draft pick, selected 1st overall in 2020 by the Dallas Jackals before representing the Austin Gilgronis (2021-2022), the Seattle Seawolves (2023-2024), and Anthem RC (2025-2026).

Mooneyham began playing rugby in Northern California when he was 12, before moving to Texas during high school where he continued to play for Rocklin High School and then at Magnolia High School while also playing football. He enrolled to Life University in 2014 where he continued playing rugby throughout, with the exception of between 2016-2018 when he served on a mission trip to Argentina. When Mooneyham returned to Life University, he continued to play rugby and was a regular starter, leading the team to 2016 & 2019 D1A Collegiate Rugby National Championships.

Mooneyham declared for the first ever Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft in 2020, and was selected 1st overall by the Dallas Jackals, making history as MLR’s first ever collegiate draft pick. When the Jackals deferred their entry from 2021 to 2022 however, Mooneyham signed with the Austin Gilgronis following the dispersal draft where he played for 2 seasons, scoring 8 tries in 23 games (21 starts) and racking up over 1,100m gained. He earned a spot in the Eagles training squad in 2022 but injury ruled him out of a test appearance.

Following the disqualification of the AGs in 2022, and their subsquent folding, Mooneyham was selected by Rugby ATL in the second dispersal draft of his short pro career, and on 11th November 2022 ATL traded Mooneyham to the Seattle Seawolves in exchange for 2023 Cap Space (Unknown) and Seattle‘s 2023 3rd Rd Pick (Nathan Beil). Mooneyham played in the PNW for another 2 seasons, adding 3 tries and 21 appearances (14 starts) to his resume and qualifying for the post-season in both seasons with Seattle. In 2024, he finally earned his USA debut as Eagle #573 against Scotland on August 12th, making a very impressive debut despite an ugly 7-42 scoreline. Mooneyham returned to the Seawolves following the international break, helping the team to it’s 4th MLR final where he came off the bench as the Seawolves fell 11-20 to the New England Free Jacks.

On August 14th, 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced that they had traded Mooneyham to Anthem RC for the 2025 season. Mooneyham’s move was to continue to play professional rugby while being far closer to family. This move was confirmed when Anthem RC revealed their full 2025 roster of January 21st, 2025. In his first year with Anthem, Mooneyham added 3 tries in his 9 games (8 starts), with over 300m gained in possession to take his career total over 2,000m, and recording 53 tackles to take his career total over 200. He also earned his 50th MLR appearance while representing Anthem RC that year and on 17th November 2025, the team announced his return for the 2026 campaign, Mooneyham’s 6th in MLR.

AChievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 2
  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • 2020 MLR Draftee: 1st Rd (1st Overall) – Dallas Jackals
  • First Ever Major League Rugby Draftee

Maclean Jones

Australian back row Maclean Jones played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Austin Gilgronis (2021-2022) and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

Jones played Rugby Union, Rugby League, and cricket through school, focusing on Rugby Union from 2013 when he toured the UK & Ireland with the Australian Schoolboys. He played with the Australia U20s at the u20 World Cup in Manchester in 2016, and captained the side at the Oceania Tournament in Brisbane, earning a rugby scholarship to the University of Queensland, and played with the Warringah Rats in the 2017 Shute Shield. Jones earned his Super Rugby debut with the Waratahs in 2019, while also playing with the NSW Country Eagles in the NRC.

Maclean Jones had signed with the Austin Gilgronis ahead of the 2020 MLR season, but visa delays meant that he was unable to travel stateside before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the season after only 5 rounds. Jones made it over to join the Gilgronis for the 2021 season, earning 13 appearances (all starts) for the AGs and scoring 2 tries. He earned another 9 caps (7 starts) in the 2022 regular season, before the Austin Gilgronis were disqualified (along with sister team the LA Giltinis) from the 2022 season for alleged cap salary breaches prior to the 2022 Championship Series. In the subsequent Expansion/Dispersal draft, Maclean Jones was selected 22nd overall by the Chicago Hounds expension side, with whom he signed a multi-year contract ahead of their inaugural season in 2023. Jones earned a career high 15 appearances (all starts) for the Hounds in 2023, scoring 3 tries and completing 188 successful tackles, putting him 8th league-wide in that category.

On 3rd July 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced that they had re-signed Mac Jones on a 2yr deal through the 2026 MLR season. Jones would enjoy a stellar season in 2024, setting a new personal best in tackles made with 199, finishing 3rd in MLR. He appeared in all 18 of Chicago’s games, starting 15 times and scoring 4 tries as they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in team history, where they defeated the NOLA Gold on the road to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where the Hounds fell 23-17 to the eventual champions, the New England Free Jacks. For his performance in 2024, Jones was named to the All-MLR Second XV and named as the Chicago Hounds Forward of the Year.

On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Maclean Jones for the 2025 season, the first of his new 2yr deal with the team. That season, Jones continued his stellar performances for the Hounds. He scored 9 tries, more than double his previous career high of 4, and started all 16 of his appearances that season as the Hounds advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the 2nd year in a row, falling to the New England Free Jacks by a single point. He completed well over 200 tackles for the first time in his career, finishing 6th League-wide with 222 taking his career total to 885, and gained over 200m in possession. For his substantial efforts, Jones was named both Chicago Hounds Player of the Year, and Players’ Player of the Year at the team’s 2025 End of Season awards and was named to the All-MLR Second XV. On 30th October 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Mac Jones for their 2026 season, his 6th in MLR and 4th with the Hounds.

achievements