Gafa Looks To Build With Anthem In 2025 After Rookie Of The Year Campaign

Junior Gafa’s efforts for Anthem Rugby Carolina in 2024 saw the center awarded Major League Rugby Rookie of the Year.

Picked 23rd overall by the New England Free Jacks in the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft, Gafa was initially loaned to Anthem before joining the team full-time in the offseason.

Over his 13 league appearances, the 23-year-old gained 1,062 meters, beat 37 defenders, and scored four tries in the North Carolinians’ inaugural campaign.
Those performances on the field got the back named in USA Rugby’s reserves for the November tour of Europe.

While his team ended the campaign without a win and at the foot of the Eastern Conference, the combative back had done enough to be voted Rookie of the Year.

Gafa followed in the footsteps of Andrew Guerra, Tavite Lopeti, and Sam Golla in receiving the award.

“I was really blessed and grateful for the recognition,” Gafa said. “I knew that a lot of it comes from Anthem, and it is a testament to what we pride ourselves on in our game.

“A lot of things had to happen in the background to make that happen, but I am very grateful to be in a position where it worked out for me.

“I called our head coach, Alama (Ieremia), right after to give him the news. He was excited. We are close, so we just favored that moment with each other.
“He told me it was just the beginning, that there was a lot of hard work to come, to add to the foundations of the past year and not let it be a one-year wonder.”

Photo by Laura Stroud

The reward was also the culmination of years of hard work.
Taking up rugby at Back Bay Sharks Rugby Club in San Pedro, California, the Samoa-born center was involved in numerous age-grade sides.

Whether it was representing the USA from Under-16s through to U20s or being part of the wider training squad for the Youth Olympics Rugby Sevens, it was clear that the youngster had the talent.

Alongside rugby, Gafa had another talent. Football.
While at Brown University, representing the Bears, he took the steering wheel and performed as an effective linebacker in the Ivy League.

But as the end of his time in Rhone Island honed into view, the tug of rugby and continuing his athletic career with his first love as a professional began.
In a short time, Gafa proved that his rugby ability was still there and helped Brown to the 2022 National Collegiate Rugby Championship.

“Once my senior year came around, and I was starting to look at careers after uni, I hopped back onto the rugby field with the boys after the Thanksgiving break,” Gafa said.

“They had always been in contact with me, so it was nice to have that connection before even getting back into it. David Laflamme (Brown’s head coach) and the coaches were very helpful, and I am grateful for their help.

“I definitely saw the growth that was coming with MLR. In high school, I dreamed of being a rugby player and representing the USA.

“Being able to get on the pitch and representing the country against other nations was something special to me.

“Singing the national anthem at the start of a game gave me a feeling that I missed when I was at college and was only reminded of it once getting back on the rugby pitch.

“Seeing the growth of MLR and the possibility of getting involved in the league was intriguing, so I decided to commit myself to playing rugby and trying to make the most of that opportunity.

It was an easy decision for Gafa to call Anthem home full-time from the 2025 season.

Photo by Griff Lacey

The team was established ahead of the 2024 season to aid the growth and development of domestic players in a first-of-its-kind partnership between MLR, USA Rugby, and World Rugby.

In the program’s first year, Gafa was the embodiment of what the team hoped to achieve in the long term.

“The opportunity to return to Anthem was huge,” he said. “I saw the DNA of Anthem and the wider picture with the development of young athletes in the States.
“The coaching staff and entire organization pride themselves on the development of young players. I appreciate that, and it has benefitted me a lot.
“I wanted to stick with it, keep trusting the process, and carry on what we started here last year.”

While Anthem endured a winless 2024, that’s not to say there were not bright sparks.

Photo by Laura Stroud

In addition to Gafa’s exploits, there was a standout year for loosehead prop Jake Turnbull, and diamonds in the rough, such as Lucas Gramlick and Steffan Crimp (now San Diego Legion), were unearthed.

Anthem has been hard at work in the pursuit of brighter fortunes in 2025.
This includes the recruitment of USA internationals Sam Golla, Conner Mooneyham, and Mitch Wilson, as well as Draft picks Erich Storti, Neil Trainor, and Jeron Pantor.

Now gathered in North Carolina in preparation for their second season.
Already, there is a palpable excitement in the training field for all involved and the opportunity to build on the foundations laid a year ago.

“Both the talent we brought back from last year and the additions that we have made this year; I think the staff have done a wonderful job cultivating a team that will gel and work with one another very well,” Gafa said.

“These past days, we have been training; you can see the flavor coming through from the boys, and we are feeding off one another. There is some great talent.

“Storti coming into that backline, Mitch Wilson and Conner (Mooneyham) are great add-ons and the guys coming back from last year.

“Building with these boys and starting that ‘gel’ we need to kick off a successful 2025 campaign has been really exciting.”

Gafa in preseason training / photo by Laura Stroud 

Anthem starts their 2025 season with a visit to Eastern Conference rivals NOLA Gold.

Following their trip to Louisiana, Gafa and his teammates will host San Diego Legion at American Legion Memorial Stadium before encounters with the Miami Sharks and Old Glory DC.

All their preseason work will be tested as this new-look squad aims to make significant strides in the new year.

Above all else, the thing driving Anthem is the pursuit of a first-ever win, which Gafa confesses is a serious form of motivation for the squad.

“A whole lot, actually,” Gafa said. “Just to be a part of history and make our mark, to tell people what we about and the history that we leave behind when we are wrapped up with the game.

“That is something we want to look back on and be proud of. It is something we want very bad and that we will be fighting for from the jump.”