The Dallas Jackals signed Dakota O’Neil for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old (28 in Jan.) lock/back row is 6’4″ and 240 lbs.
Kody previously played with the Colorado Raptors since 2018 and played in 25 matches. With the withdrawal of the Raptors from the MLR in May, he was one of several players selected by the Jackals in the dispersal draft.
In 2019 he played 360 minutes in 12 matches, had 52 carries for 327 meters, and made 64 tackles. He also had 2 linebreaks, 3 tackle break, and 1 offload.
Kody was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up in Troutdale. He attended Reynolds High School and played rugby beginning with his junior year. After graduating he went to Oregon State University from 2011-2015 and played rugby for the four years. Kody earned two Bachelor Science Degrees from OSU, one in Exercise and Sports Science and the other in Chemistry.
He then continued his education at Edith Cowan University, near Perth, Australia, in an online degree program from 2016-2017. He earned a Master of Science Degree in Strength and Conditioning.
From February 2016 through January 2017 he played for Ponsonby Rugby Club in Auckland, New Zealand, and helped the team win a Championship. He played for Auckland Rugby Union Men’s 7s team in 2016 and also was selected to join a traveling team to play in the Hokkaido 7s Tournament.
Kody then moved to Christchurch in February 2017 where I played for High School Old Boys RFC for that season. He began at Division 2 and through hard work, he played for the Division 1 team, gaining several starts.
After this season, Kody and his girlfriend decided to move back to the U.S., staying for a short time in Troutdale before moving to Seattle, Washington, and joining the Seattle Saracens. He played for them until he received an offer to join the Glendale Raptors in April 2018 for their inaugural MLR season. Through hard work again, he was able to gain a starting position. The Raptors also hired Kody as the Academy Strength and Conditioning Coach. Following the conclusion of the MLR season, he continued to play during the Fall Exhibition season and for two more MLR seasons.
Dallas Jackals Release
Kody’s family, parents, older sister, and long-time girlfriend have always been extremely supportive of his rugby career. He says, “my parents have a Blue Heeler that looks like the Jackals logo, they are very excited about that!”
Kody is very excited to continue his career with the Dallas Jackals while helping accelerate the growth of rugby in DFW. He looks forward to helping bring an MLR Championship to Dallas! Welcome to the pack Kody!
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