MLR Notes: Baillie joins Free Jacks, new Kappa kit for MLR

The Free Jacks have bolstered their forward pack with three signings for the 2024 Major League Rugby season. Tighthead prop John-Roy Jenkinson, second row Kyle Baillie, and back row Jaco Bezuidenhout will make the move to New England from Atlanta, DC, and Houston respectively.

It’s Baillie who will raise the most eyebrows. The 32-year-old Canadian, formerly of NOLA and Toronto, made an immediate impact after joining Old Glory halfway through the 2023 campaign. He took over the on-field captaincy towards the end of the regular season and led the team to a first-ever playoff victory over New York. Baillie is set to join fellow Canucks Josh Larsen and Conor Keys as lock options.

Jenkinson, also 32, is a 285lbs+ (130kg+) behemoth who has been arguably the most dominant scrummager in MLR over the past two seasons with ATL. Bezuidenhout, 26, was a standout for the SaberCats in 2022 but missed the entirety of the 2023 season with a shoulder injury. He was primarily a No8 in Houston but is also comfortable on the flank.

Old Glory will be disappointed to lose Baillie but have added some steel to their pack in the form of tighthead prop Kevin Brou, who arrives from French club Albi. Their social media statement, however, suggests the club has made a miscalculation. While the 30-year-old is American, originally from Atlanta, he represented the Ivory Coast at international level, most recently during World Cup Qualifiers in July of 2021. It means that Brou will not be eligible to switch allegiance back to the Eagles until July of 2024, meaning he will be classed as an international player for the coming season.

There is good news and bad news for San Diego fans. Starting with the bad, star scrumhalf Richard Judd will not be returning for a second campaign. The 31-year-old New Zealander has signed on with the Hurricanes, joining fellow Legion departure Ben Grant.

On the good side the club has signed loosehead prop Payton Telea-Ilalio from the American Raptors. The 25-year-old won the Rudy Scholz Award recognizing the country’s best collegiate player in 2020. With DJ Sears-Duru and Nate Sylvia also signed up it remains to be seen what the future holds for incumbent starter Faka’osi Pifeleti.

NOLA have a new coach, and now they have a new flanker. Samoan international OJ Noa will join the club next season. He was most recently on the books for Bayonne in the French Top 14. Standing 6’4″ (1.93m) and tipping the scales at over 240lbs (110kg), he adds a considerable physical presence to the back row while also having the ability to fill in at lock if needed. Noa’s 34th birthday is approaching in December.

Leaving the Gold for the Jackals is Anelisa Mteto. The former Collegiate All-American winger only joined the club last season but did not end up making a regular season appearance and is yet to make his MLR debut. Originally from South Africa, the 28-year-old is now US-eligible on residency.

The Arrows have confirmed a second returnee at hooker. Tyler Wong joins Jack McRogers as domestic options in the middle of the front row. Wong, 24, has represented Canada at u20 level and was formerly part of the Pacific Pride centralized development program. He made a handful of appearances for the Arrows in 2023 including three starts.

Three young players have renewed their stay at Zions Bank Stadium. Back rows John DuPree and Jeremiah Noaese are joined by flyhalf or fullback Sione Mahe. Openside specialist DuPree will turn 24 later this month while blindside or No8 Noaese will be 22 in January. Both were used sparingly during their first pro campaigns in 2023. Mahe turns 24 in January and has represented the USA at u18 level but has not played for the Warriors as of yet.

Utah have also confirmed the departure of four players. Hooker Joey Backe and outside back Connor Burns had already been known to be moving on. Backe has returned to his home of Chicago, though it’s unclear at this stage if he will be joining the Hounds, while Burns was snapped up by Miami in the expansion draft.

Also headed through the out door are scrumhalf Connor McLeod and winger Logan Tago. Both are surprises. McLeod was announced on a multi-year deal ahead of the 2023 season and was first choice at No9, while Tago was in the extended Eagles training squad this fall.

MLR has a new kit provider. X-Blades supplied the league’s jerseys during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, with Paladin taking over in 2020. The latter is now out with Italian sportswear brand Kappa signing a three-year partnership with MLR. They have primarily been associated with soccer but have branched into other sports in recent years. Included in their rugby portfolio are several European clubs, most notably French Top 14 sides Bayonne and Castres.