Jack Iscaro and Telesi Uhatafe: Two American Rugby Stories Worth Following

One is establishing himself in the French front row. The other is bringing championship credentials to the Eagles’ backline. Together, they offer compelling reasons to pay attention to the players coming through American rugby.

American rugby needs supporters who recognize more than the jersey. It needs fans who know where players came from, understand what makes them valuable, and have a reason to follow their careers between international matches. Jack Iscaro and Telesi Uhatafe offer two very different entry points into that story: a loosehead prop whose development has taken him from Maryland to Paris, and a dangerous back whose journey connects Texas rugby, Southern Nazarene University, and the USA Women’s Eagles.

Their positions demand different things. Their careers are at different stages. But both give American supporters something tangible to follow: players who have progressed through domestic rugby environments and earned opportunities on bigger stages.

Jack Iscaro: Building a Career Where the Scrums Matter

For Iscaro, the latest milestone arrived on October 28, when Stade Français announced his contract extension. The French club confirmed that the American loosehead had made 20 appearances and scored two tries since arriving as injury cover in October 2025. Its announcement praised his scrummaging, work rate, and integration into the squad. What began as a temporary opportunity has become a longer-term place in Paris. 

That achievement has roots well beyond France. Born in Germany and raised in Olney, Maryland, Iscaro began playing rugby at 10. His development included Gonzaga College High School, the University of California, Berkeley, and Old Glory DC before his USA debut against Hong Kong in November 2022. Those stops connect youth rugby, established school and college programs, and professional competition in the United States. 

Old Glory provided an especially valuable stretch of that education. In a recent interview with Major League Rugby, Iscaro credited regular playing time and the challenges posed by opposing front rows with preparing him for the move to France. He started 56 of his 76 appearances for the club—substantial experience in a position where development requires repeated exposure to difficult opponents. 

For American supporters, his story is a reason to look more closely at the scrum. A loosehead’s contribution can be difficult to appreciate from a highlights package. Stable possession, pressure on an opposing tighthead, and the ability to keep delivering technically sound work as fatigue builds rarely receive the attention given to a breakaway try. Yet those contributions can determine whether a team gets to play the rugby it wants.

That is the lens through which Iscaro deserves to be watched. Look at the platform his unit provides, the quality of possession available behind it, and his ability to contribute again after the set piece is finished. Scrummaging is a collective effort, so neither praise nor blame should automatically fall on one player. But following an individual prop makes that contest easier to understand—and considerably more interesting.

His progress also supports an argument American rugby should take seriously: domestic professional minutes have developmental value. Iscaro’s experience offers a concrete example of what can happen when an American front-row prospect receives responsibility, time, and demanding competition. His success should encourage further investment in those opportunities.

Telesi Uhatafe: A Scoring Threat With a Story Behind the Highlights

Uhatafe brings a different kind of appeal. The wing and center from Euless, Texas, built her reputation at Southern Nazarene University before making her senior USA debut against New Zealand in April 2026, becoming Eagle No. 334. Her collegiate achievements included a five-try performance in a national championship final—a striking introduction for anyone just beginning to follow her career. 

Her ability to influence a tournament was evident well before that international debut. At the 2024 National Collegiate Rugby Women’s All-Star Championship, she scored both tries in the Lone Star Armadillos’ 14–0 final victory over the Big Ten. She finished the competition with 11 tries and 55 points, earning MVP honors as the Armadillos went unbeaten. 

Those numbers establish a record of production rather than a reputation built around a single memorable play. They also explain why her transition to international rugby is worth following. The next challenge for any prolific collegiate back is finding ways to remain effective when defenders close space more quickly, recover more efficiently, and punish hesitation.

For viewers, the interesting questions extend beyond whether she scores. How does she position herself before receiving the ball? Can she turn a narrow opportunity into useful territory? When defenders commit to stopping her, can the attack exploit the space elsewhere? Those are useful measures of a developing international back, particularly when the opposition makes clean breaks difficult to find.

Uhatafe also has a connection to the domestic professional women’s game. Women’s Elite Rugby identified her as a Bay Breakers player in its July 2026 update on athletes representing the United States. That gives supporters another team and competition through which to follow her development beyond Eagles fixtures. 

Her regional connection matters, too. For players in Texas and Oklahoma, the journey from Euless through Southern Nazarene to the national team makes international rugby feel closer to home. A recognizable school, a familiar opponent, or a local rugby community can turn a distant ambition into something a young player can picture.

Giving Supporters Someone to Follow

Iscaro and Uhatafe illustrate why American rugby’s storytelling should stretch across positions and across the men’s and women’s games. One invites supporters to appreciate the technical contest in the front row. The other gives them a productive attacking player whose adjustment to international competition is a story still unfolding.

Neither career proves that every part of the American development system is working. Both, however, give the sport specific examples worth studying: where meaningful opportunities existed, which environments helped players progress, and what the next level demanded of them.

For The Rugby Rant audience, these are two names worth keeping in the conversation throughout the season. Follow Iscaro’s continued work in Paris and the experience he brings to the Eagles. Follow Uhatafe’s growth as she builds on her collegiate achievements in the senior game.

American rugby becomes easier to care about when its players become familiar. These two have already given supporters plenty of reasons to learn their names.