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Nine months after announcing he was stepping away from professional rugby, Jeff Hassler is back. The former Ospreys star was set to join Harlequins in August before his decision. He will now suit up for the Seattle Seawolves in Major League Rugby.
At 27 years of age, Hassler still has plenty of rugby left in him and now looks set to add to his 21 Canadian test caps. He has been a first choice selection when available since breaking into the test side in 2012, and was a standout in his five seasons in Wales, earning Pro 12 Dream Team honors in 2014.
Hassler joins six other Canadian players in Seattle. Djustice Sears-Duru, Cam Polson, and Nakai Penny have all featured this year while Phil Mack, George Barton, and Brock Staller are regulars in the backline.
It’s a second high profile signing for the Seawolves in recent days. Samu Manoa was officially confirmed by the side last week and is set to make his MLR debut against New York. Hassler will not be playing this weekend but should be in the side in time to play Glendale.
The news is also welcome to Canada coach Kingsley Jones, who now has one of his top attacking players back in his arsenal ahead of the World Cup. With the likes of European pros DTH van der Merwe, Taylor Paris, and Conor Trainor also in the mix, Jones will have some difficult choices to make ahead of Japan.
