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Te Rangatira Waitokia is one of four players who have re-signed with Rugby ATL for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. Joining the outside back on the returnee list are props Will Burke and Jonas Petrakopoulos, and blindside flanker Frederick Henry-Ajudua.
Since arriving from New Zealand ahead of the 2021 campaign, Waitokia has been an essential member of ATL’s backline. The 26-year-old played 15 games this past season and scored 5 tries, behind only hookers Marko Janse van Rensburg and Alex Maughan. He was interchangeable at outside center and wing and can also cover fullback if needed.
Burke, also 26, continued his development in his second season with the Ratlers after joining from New York. He enjoyed a career-high 14 appearances and 10 starts, almost exclusively playing on the loosehead side having previously been primarily a tighthead.
Another formerly of New York, Petrakopoulos appeared in 13 games this season. It was the most of his career though he did not have any starts. The 24-year-old is US-eligible, having previously represented the Netherlands at u20 level. He is primarily a loosehead but has the ability to play across the front row.
Henry-Ajudua, 29, made his regular season debut in March. A former professional football player, he is originally from Nigeria but moved to the USA as a teenager and remains eligible for the Eagles. The 6’3″ (1.90m) specimen recently earned man-of-the-match honors after scoring a hat-trick for Life University against the ATL Academy side in the Americas Rugby Premiership.
