2025 All MLR First Team: A Closer Look

July 17, 2025 - Major League Rugby (MLR) News Release

Written by Joe Harvey

Throughout the 2025 Major League Rugby season, numerous top performers emerged.

After the New England Free Jacks lifted the Shield for a third consecutive year, a panel of MLR experts cast their votes for the MLR Awards.

Earlier this week, the All-MLR First XV, Second XV, and Honorable Mentions were named, with 45 players given the nod as the offseason got underway.

Here is a closer look at the 2025 All-MLR First XV:

1 JACK ISCARO (OLD GLORY DC)

Since his 2021 debut, Jack Iscaro has been one of Old Glory DC's most consistent performers. This year, he took that to the next level.

The local product made 16 MLR appearances in 2025, with 13 of those being starts, and helped his team reach an Eastern Conference Semi-Final against the Chicago Hounds.

A consistent operator at the set-piece for Simon Cross' team, the 27-year-old also made 155 tackles and grueling 102 carries in attack to keep his team moving forward.

For his efforts, Iscaro has taken a starting spot in the USA Men's Eagles starting side and has started their opening two July Tests.

2 LIAM COLTMAN (UTAH WARRIORS)

As debut MLR seasons go, Liam Coltman's was certainly impressive.

The former All Blacks hooker arrived at the Utah Warriors after three years in France with Lyon and helped the side to their first-ever Playoffs victory in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Along the way, the 35-year-old crashed over the whitewash on 10 occasions, made 80 carries, and completed 172 tackles in defense.

A key figure for former Warriors head coach Greg Cooper off the field, too, Coltman's importance to his team's efforts in 2025 cannot be understated.

Textbook work by Utah here .. what an add Liam Coltman has been this season, his 5th try of the year from the perfectly executed lineout & maul!

3 PONO DAVIS (HOUSTON SABERCATS)

After a strong finish to the 2024 season, Pono Davis took things to the next level in 2025.

For most of his first three years in the league, the tighthead prop rode the bench as a replacement before his consistent performances won him a starting spot.

His proficiency even earned him a USA Men's Eagles call-up, and the 27-year-old has now won seven caps to date for his country from the replacements.

Along with his scrummaging aptitude, Davis made 152 tackles, made 87 carries, and arrived at 240 rucks in his 17 league appearances (16 starts).

4 FRANK LOCHORE (UTAH WARRIORS)

Whether it was in the back row or at lock forward, Frank Lochore got through plenty of work.

A starter in all but one of the 18 games he played for the Utah Warriors in 2025, the New Zealander's second MLR season was one for the record books.

The 24-year-old made 303 tackles to set a new all-time single-season record and led the competition in lineout takes (128).

That reliability meant Lochore was one of the first names on the team sheet and is the only player from the 2024 All-MLR First XV to retain his place.

5 NATHAN DEN HOEDT (HOUSTON SABERCATS)

Nathan den Hoedt will always be the first Houston SaberCats captain to take the team all the way to the Championship Final.

In 2025, the Australian was virtually ever-present for his team, with only one of his 18 appearances this year coming from the replacements.

At 28, he played some of his best rugby this season, as his consistency set him apart from almost everyone else as the SaberCats picked up their first postseason wins and a Western Conference title.

Den Hoedt made 147 tackles, received the ball at the lineout on 76 occasions, and arrived at 327 rucks.

6 MANUEL ARDAO (MIAMI SHARKS)

Manuel Ardao enjoyed a superb season for the Miami Sharks as the Floridians reached the Playoffs for the first time.

The Uruguay international already has forged a strong reputation for his all-around game and showed exactly what he was capable of in 2025.

Regularly captaining his team, the 26-year-old made 14 MLR appearances and won a league high 22 turnovers to keep Miami on the front foot.

You then add 243 ruck arrivals, 155 tackles, and five tries; it all adds up to a quietly impressive campaign.

7 BRAD WILKIN (SAN DIEGO LEGION)

Like plenty of good captains, Brad Wilkin led from the front for the San Diego Legion.

Upon his arrival in SoCal, the 29-year-old was appointed captain at Torero Stadium by John Manenti and made 14 appearances for his new team as they finished fifth in the Western Conference.

The Australian scored 11 tries for Legion across those 13 starts, including a hat-trick against Old Glory DC in their final game of the regular season in a last-ditch attempt to qualify for the postseason.

On top of try-scoring, Wilkin contributed 221 tackles to the cause and made an impressive 321 meters with the ball.

Led by a Brad Wilkin hat trick, the San Diego Legion put on a clinical performance tonight to keep their postseason dreams alive

8 WIAN CONRADIE (NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS)

It was a trademark year for Wian Conradie, as he helped the New England Free Jacks secure a third consecutive MLR title.

The Namibian, who was the 2023 Forward of the Year, consistently caused problems for opposition defenses with his ability to break the gain line.

That knack for getting past the first defender yielded 568 meters from 214 carries and five tries scored.

Even in defense, the 30-year-old offered plenty with his whopping 211 tackles and a third All-MLR First XV nod.

9 GONZALO BERTRANOU (RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB LOS ANGELES)

Rugby Football Club Los Angeles's Gonzalo Bertranou looked right at home in his debut MLR season.

The incumbent Argentine scrum-half was relentless in his efforts to take the Californians to the postseason in their second campaign. A feat he achieved.

As RFCLA made it to a Western Conference Semi-Final exit to the Houston SaberCats, Bertranou contributed a league high 15 try assists and even scored six tries for Stephen Hoiles' side.

Tag on 2481 meters kicked and 685 meters made with the ball, Bertranou showcased exactly what makes him one of the world's best scrum-halves across 16 appearances.

10 CHRIS HILSENBECK (CHICAGO HOUNDS)

Chris Hilsenbeck settled into MLR life with relative ease in 2025 with the Chicago Hounds.

In 2023, supporters got just a glimpse of what the fly-half was capable of when he played four games for Rugby ATL, but it is in the Midwest that he thrived.

In total, Hilsenbeck scored a league high 109 points, kicked for 3866 meters, and made 218 meters with the ball.

He seamlessly settled into the backline and expertly linked up play to take Chicago back to the postseason for a second year in a row.

Such was the 33-year-old's performance that he was called into Scott Lawrence's USA Men's Eagles squad this summer and made his debut in the team's 36-17 win over Belgium.

11 PAULA BALEKANA (NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS)

If there is one thing Paula Balekana knows how to do, it is score tries.

For a second time since his 2022 arrival at the New England Free Jacks, the 32-year-old Fijian has scored 15 tries in an MLR season, although this time around he did that in only 14 appearances.

His try-scoring exploits included a mesmerizing brace in the Championship Final as the Free Jacks' 28-22 win over the Houston SaberCats kept the Shield in Massachusetts for a third consecutive year.

Balekana also made 921 meters from 130 carries and an impressive 77 tackles on the wing.

12 BILLY MEAKES (RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB LOS ANGELES)

In his MLR career to date, Billy Meakes is a two-time Back of the Year winner and has been named in the All-MLR First Team twice.

This season, the 34-year-old showed there was still plenty of gas in the tank with a frankly dazzling campaign for the Rugby Football Club Los Angeles.

Supercharged by the California sun, Meakes made a league high 233 carries in 2025 to keep his team moving forward consistently and made 656 meters in the process.

RFCLA may not play their home games in Napa Valley, but Meakes is certainly aging like a fine wine.

13 DIVAN ROSSOUW (SEATTLE SEAWOLVES)

Just like in 2024, Divan Rossouw was a leading light for the Seattle Seawolves.

Unable to help his team back to the Championship Final on this occasion, the Namibia international scored eight tries for the Seawolves as they exited at the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Throughout the season, Rossouw was able to showcase his impressive array of kicking and put the ball to boot for 3641 meters.

You then tag on 994 meters made from 182 carries, and it all adds up to an impressive season of attack from the 29-year-old.

14 JOE MANO (UTAH WARRIORS)

Ever since Joe Mano stepped into MLR five years ago, he has been prolific. 2025 was no different.

The 30-year-old scored 14 tries in 16 regular season games to tie his own previous record from the 2023 season.

Fourteenth tally of the season for the league's try-scoring leader Joe Mano!

In full flight, the USA international was untouchable and even made 869 meters with the ball in hand from his 101 carries.

He also contributed a mightily impressive 63 tackles in defense to emphasize a full-court game that makes him one of the best wings in the league.

15 JORDAN TRAINOR (UTAH WARRIORS)

Jordan Trainor's Player of the Match performance in the Utah Warriors' Western Conference Semi-Final against the Seattle Seawolves tells you everything you need to know about his season.

A near constant at Zions Bank Stadium, the 29-year-old made 16 appearances as Utah reached the Western Conference Final and scored eight tries along the way.

He also kicked the ball 2,172 meters, made 1,117 meters, and carried the ball 154 times to underline his effectiveness in attack.

But Trainor also provided a safe pair of hands in defense thanks to his ability under the high ball and consistently maintained a cool head to turn defense into offense.

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