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The Seattle Seawolves have two more internationals to their Major League Rugby roster. Six-time USA Eagles prop Huluholo Mo’ungaloa and former Brave Blossoms winger Akihito Yamada have signed following the recent announcements of Seta Tuilevuka and Karsten Leitner.
Mo’ungaloa is primarily a loosehead prop and provides competition for incumbent starter and Canada regular Djustice Sears-Duru. He also covers for the absence of Kellen Gordon, who is away with family commitments. The 31-year-old played for the Utah Warriors for each of the last two seasons.
Yamada scored an impressive 19 tries in 25 tests for Japan between 2013 and 2018. He was a first choice player at Rugby World Cup 2015 and famously missed the game against Scotland after being stung by a weever fish while swimming in the ocean.
Now 35 years old, Yamada arrives directly from the NTT Shining Arcs in the Japan Top League. He had previously spent a decade with the Panasonic Wild Knights, played three seasons with the Sunwolves, and spent time training with both the Western Force and French Top 14 side Lyon.
Along with the above, yet to make an appearance is former Eagles star Samu Manoa. The soonest opportunity for the next debutante is Saturday evening’s road match against the Utah Warriors.
