NEWS

Will Leonard Reaches 50 Caps

On Saturday, March 18th, Will Leonard became the thirty-fifth player in Major League Rugby to appear in 50 matches.

Will Leonard (Atlanta #54) began playing youth Rugby with Shannon RFC at eight years old. He played for Crescent Comprehensive College, winning back-to-back Munster Senior Schools cups in 2013 and 2014. The 2013 Schools cup championship was Crescent’s first win in 19 years.

Photo by Bee Trofort-Wilson

Upon graduating from Crescent Comprehensive College, he attended the University of Limerick and played club Rugby with Shannon RFC. While at the University of Limerick, he was a member of the Munster U-20s and played in the U-20 Interpros against Connacht and Ulster. He helped bring Shannon back to the First Division of the All-Ireland League in 2018 and was named Munster Provincial Player of the Year following the 2017-2018 season.

He signed with Rugby United New York (New York #12) ahead of the 2019 season and would appear in 31 matches through 2019 and 2021. He moved onto Rugby ATL in 2022, where he’s been a mainstay of their mid-field.

As a senior club player, he previously played for Shannon RFC, Old Blue NY, and Rugby New York.

To date, in his MLR career, he has scored 10 tries, made 420 ball carries, has 3,547 meters run, made 562 tackles, and 557 ruck arrivals.

Photo by Bee Trofort-Wilson

Major League Rugby is honoring the first 50 players to reach 50 caps and their role in building the legacy of MLR. The latest of the first thirty-five players to accomplish 50 caps for MLR includes Franco Van den Berg of the Utah Warriors, and Billy Stewart and Pat O’Toole of NOLA Gold.

Stay tuned for more announcements as players reach the 50 caps milestone, and cement their spot in Major League Rugby’s history.