South African hooker Cullen Collopy has been signed by the NOLA Gold for the 2020 Major League Rugby season. The 26-year-old joins from the Sharks, where he made two replacements appearances for the Super Rugby side in 2019 after impressing as a starter in the Rugby Challenge.
Born in Cape Town but raised in Durban, Collopy was part of Kwa-Zulu Natal’s age grade system but it was with Western Province where he made his senior debut in the 2016 Provincial Cup. After a brief stay with Eastern Province in the 2018 Currie Cup, he spent a season with Barcelona in Spain where he played exclusively as a flanker.
Collopy adds depth to the Gold scrum alongside Canadian international hooker and incumbent captain Eric Howard. Currently under contract for 2020 are loosehead prop Kevin Sullivan, tighthead Dino Waldren, and utility front rowers Matt Harmon and Cam Falcon.