Fijian Sevens Star Semi Kunatani Added to 2026 Roster

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Jan 1, 2026 - 3:30pm

Old Glory has announced the suprise addition of Fijian Sevens star Semi Kunatani to the 2026 roster. The 35-year-old back rower began his rugby playing career in the seven-a-side format, quickly earning a spot on the Fijian national team. Since his debut in 2013, he's played in at least 136 sevens matches for his country.

His fifteens breakthrough came a couple years later when he signed with Toulouse in the Top 14 in France in 2015. He spent three seasons there, earning 29 caps, before moving to the Premiership to play for the Harlequins, where he spent two seasons and played in 23 matches. He moved back to the Top 14 in 2020 with Castres, but the pandemic disrupted proceedings and he never took the field for his intended team.

After a couple years out of the fifteens game, he jumped back in with the Tel Aviv Heat in 2022, who compete in the European Super Cup. When the owners of the team launched a new team in MLR in the form of RFCLA, Kunatani jumped over to join the new franchise.

His first season in LA was sensational. He started 11 of his 15 matches and scored an impressive 10 tries. His 2025 season was much more muted though, with just 1 try and 4 starts in his 11 matches.

He joins a back row at OGDC that is brimming with American talent. While he's not likely to be directly competing with the Cory Daniel, who tends to play at 7, Kunatani will be competing with Ben Bonasso in the 6 and 8 roles. He will also be dealing with a challenge from Collin Grosse in those positions, and he will have the disadvantage that he will take up one of the limited foreign player slots.

His signing also raises questions about whether Argentine eightman Lautaro Bavaro will return. As another experienced foreign back rower, the two seem to fit similar molds and there may not be space for both on the roster. If that's the case, Old Glory fans will be hoping the electric attack of Kunatani will make up for the quiet hard work of Bavaro.