MLR 2020 – International Stars Preseason XV

The highly anticipated start to the third season of Major League Rugby is just days away now. Three new teams will be added, and with them a host of new international players with prime time experience who will share the pitch with the best domestic talent from North America.

Below is a preseason selection based entirely on name recognition. Test cap winners from 16 countries outside of Canada and the USA will be competing in 2020, with players from 11 of those included in our side. There is one exception in our team to allow for all 12 MLR teams to be represented.

1 – Tendai Mtawarira (Old Glory DC) Number one in the team is the biggest splash of the off-season. World Cup winner, test centurion, and one of the best forwards of the professional era. Seeing him packing down for Old Glory will be a sight to behold. Two-time Manu Samoa RWC select Zak Taulafo is at Colorado with Tongan cap Tolu Fahamokioa signed for the Free Jacks.

2 – Wilton Rebolo (Austin Gilgronis) Perhaps an unfamiliar name to some but the Māori certainly remember him from that infamous scrum performance in São Paulo. The 24-year-old has 28 caps for Brazil and should very quickly become a fan-favorite in Austin. One-time Pumas hooker Diego Fortuny has landed in Houston.

3 – Kensuke Hatakeyama (New England Free Jacks) The second Japanese player to reach MLR and the first international. Played in two World Cups for the Brave Blossoms and won 78 caps. He’ll get a chance to reacquaint himself with Mtawarira twice this season – the Beast has a score to settle from ‘the Brighton Miracle.’ The Free Jacks also have Samoan international Donald Brighouse on the roster while Uruguay regular Juan Echeverría is at Austin.

4 – Api Naikatini (Old Glory DC) Unlucky to miss out on RWC 2015 selection for Fiji, the 34-year-old remains a quality operator with prior experience in Super Rugby, the Top 14, and the Japan Top League. Former New Zealand u20 cap Dan Faleafa is bound for Austin after playing for Tonga at RWC 2019.

5 – Kane Thompson (NOLA Gold) Another venerable veteran who went to three World Cups with Samoa and has played professionally across the globe. He edges Uruguay’s World Cup starter Ignacio Dotti, who also happens to call New Orleans his home this season.

6 – Diego Magno (Houston Sabercats) Uruguay’s record cap winner has played in two World Cups and filled every position in the second and back row for club and country. Still just 30 years old, he has more than a decade of test rugby behind him and is the SaberCats vice-captain this season. Similarly versatile Chile international Nikola Bursic is at NOLA.

7 – Tomás de la Vega (Toronto Arrows) At one time touted to be a future Pumas captain. Won 12 caps including a start in the 2012 win over France before opting out of representative rugby in 2014. Some Argentines would prefer to see him with Los Jaguares. Namibia World Cup back row Adriaan Booysen is with the SaberCats, while San Diego’s Derrick Broussard has played three tests for the Philippines.

8 – Juan Manuel Leguizamón (Seattle Seawolves) Announced his retirement from test rugby after 87 caps and four World Cups with Argentina. Now in the twilight of his career but should still prove one of the best forwards in MLR. Fiji international Naulia Dawai covers across the back row for New England, with Uruguay’s World Cup starter Manuel Diana in Toronto.

9 – Dwayne Polataivao (Utah Warriors) Recently named skipper by new Warriors coach Chris Latham, the 29-year-old was first choice for Samoa at RWC 2019. World class Uruguay star Santiago Arata has left to join the new South American competition but similarly skilled Chilean export Marcelo Torrealba will return for Austin.

10 – Kurt Coleman (Rugby ATL) The only non-test selection in the team. Returns from a long injury layoff to bring years of Super Rugby experience to Atlanta. Austin-bound Kurt Morath would have fit the bill as a test rep with three World Cup campaigns for Tonga on his resume. Germany’s Hagen Schulte has replaced Brazil’s Josh Reeves at Utah.

11 – Rene Ranger (Colorado Raptors) Things are heating up! The former All Blacks bruiser just nudges new teammate Digby Ioane out of the lineup. Ioane might have suitable for the right wing had another Wallaby star’s arrival not been revealed just days ago. Utah’s Fetu’u Vainikolo played in two World Cups for Tonga while Toronto’s Leandro Leivas has done the same with Uruguay.

12 – Ma’a Nonu (San Diego Legion) Shares the spotlight with Mtawarira as the MLR’s most recognizable stars. Two World Cup wins, 103 caps for the All Blacks, arguably the greatest inside center of the professional era. The Legionnaires could not be happier to add a legendary figure to their ranks.

13 – Mathieu Bastareaud (Rugby United New York) The big man kicked off the arms race earlier this year. Snubbed for what would have been his second World Cup, the 31-year-old is one of the biggest names in French rugby and will no doubt produce several candidates for the end-of-season MLR highlight reel before a likely return to the Top 14.

14 – Adam Ashley-Cooper (Austin Gilgronis) The third player with 100+ caps to sign for an MLR side. We’ll assume the four-time World Cup participant’s impending arrival doesn’t hit a snag. Set for a midfield role with Austin but we’ll have him on the wing. One-time All Blacks cap Frank Halai will be the man on his right shoulder at the Gilgronis.

15 – Ben Foden (Rugby United New York) The highest-profile player in MLR at the time of his signing. A starter at RWC 2011 for England, the 34-year-old is helping to usher in a new generation of American talent in New York. Austin’s Rodrigo Silva has been a starter for Uruguay at two World Cups with Los Teros teammate Gastón Mieres in Toronto.