Old Glory DC owners Chris Dunlavey and Paul Sheehy believe the signing of Beast Mtawarira will be ‘a game changer’ for the Major League Rugby tournament.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the legendary World Cup-winning Bok prop signed a one-year deal to play for Old Glory DC in Washington.

Beast, who recently announced his international retirement and departure from the Sharks, reportedly turned down several lucrative offers from well-established professional clubs in France or England to join the American franchise.

‘Tendai recently won the Rugby World Cup and has represented  South Africa 117 times.  To have a player of his stature decide to play for Old Glory in the nation’s capital is validation of all we have been working on,’ Sheehy said.

‘We are honored to have him join our team. This is a game changer for Major League Rugby.’

Dunlavey revealed that Old Glory’s capturing of Mtawarira resulted from strong business connections.

‘Our organisation, particularly our pathway director, Tim Brown, has been in quiet discussions on this for some time with Kisset Chiregrande, a close friend of the Beast since childhood,’ explained Dunlavey.

‘By the time the discussions became serious, we were supported by business leaders from the South African expat community in greater DC as well as our other phenomenal sponsors and partners.’

Photo: Gallo Images/Archive