Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The Seattle Seawolves have added a third Canadian international to their playing roster. World Rugby u20 Trophy captain George Barton will play for the team during the 2018 Major League Rugby season. At just 20 years old the Cowichan product has already won two senior caps during the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship and spent the last two seasons in one of the top academy programs in France at Clermont Auvergne, where he was a regular starter for the Espoirs development side.
One of Canada’s brightest young talents, Barton has developed from a loose forward into a powerhouse midfielder who already sports a 106kg (235lbs) physique with a reputation for bulldozing his way over the gainline. He scored a try in each of his first two test appearances, coming on as a reserve against both Chile and the USA earlier this year. Barton is currently recuperating from an injury sustained at the u20 Trophy in Uruguay and will miss out on adding further caps during Canada’s November test series.
Among the friendly faces at the Seawolves will be hooker Ray Barkwill and Phil Mack, as well as Head Coach Tony Healy. The official Seawolves roster also contains USA Eagles prop Olive Kilifi, recently named to the November test squad, Air Force flanker Eric Duechle, and a pair of HSBC Sevens Series stars in Shalom Suniula and Mat Turner.
Other Canadians signed to MLR teams include front rowers Hubert Buydens and Eric Howard, both of whom will play for the New Orleans Gold. The new professional competition is set to kick off in April 2018.
