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Jeff Hassler will be returning to the Seattle Seawolves for the 2020 Major League Rugby season. The Canadian winger has put pen to paper for a full campaign with the defending champions after arriving late in the 2019 season to help them lift their second consecutive MLR Shield in June.
It’s somewhat of a surprise with many expecting the former Ospreys star to return to Europe having ended his nine-month playing hiatus in May. Hassler played in his second Rugby World Cup this fall, starting all three matches for Canada to bring his tally up to 27 caps since his debut in 2012, a number that would be much higher were it not for a series of injuries that ruled him out of the 2016 and 2017 international seasons in their entirety.
Not content to rest on their laurels, Seattle have now put together a fearsome backline for 2020 with Ryno Eksteen arriving from South Africa and European trio Ross Neal, David Busby, and Harry Davies joining established stars JP Smith, Ben Cima, Shalom Suniula, George Barton, Brock Staller, and Mat Turner.
The Seawolves now have 24 players signed for the new season including 18 returnees. Among those yet to be confirmed are international props Olive Kilifi, Djustice Sears-Duru, and Jake Ilnicki and former Eagles giant Samu Manoa. The team will begin training under new coach Kees Lensing early in the new year.
