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Four players previously on the books for Rugby ATL have signed with the local rugby league outfit. The Atlanta Rhinos have snapped up Harry Higgins, Frederick Henry-Ajudua, Maciu Koroi, and John Scotti for their first season in a new professional competition, the North American Rugby League (NARL).
Higgins, born and raised in Australia, is the most notable of the quartet. Capped once by the US Eagles in 2016, the 29-year-old loose forward started one match for ATL during the 2020 season.
Koroi, 26, was named in one match day squad in 2020 but did not see the field before the season was cancelled. Primarily a ball-running No8, the former Collegiate All-American has appeared in preseason games but fell behind Ross Deacon and Jason Damm on the ATL depth chart.
Henry-Ajudua was a professional football player before joining ATL. He appeared against the NOLA Gold in the 2020 preseason, but the 28-year-old flanker departed the team before the regular season began.
Scotti is the most recent addition. The 23-year-old center or wing was selected in the second round of the 2020 Collegiate Draft. He played with the Pathway 404 development side in the fall and took part in ATL’s intra-squad preseason match earlier this season.
NARL intends to kick off on June 19 but a planned Western Division was recently postponed to 2022, leaving ex-MLR players Lino Saunitoga, Maikeli Naromaitoga, Nolan Tuamoheloa, and Moses Lalasava without contracts for 2021. It remains to be seen if any return to MLR.
