Stratford rugby star sets sights on professional career [Video]

A Stratford athlete is getting his chance to play with the pros after he was drafted into North America’s only professional rugby league.

Neil Trainor was selected second overall by the Carolina Anthem during the Major League Rugby (MLR) Amateur Draft.

“Rugby really has been my life basically for the past five, five and a half years. Basically ever since I got into Queens,” Trainor said.

MLR was formed in 2017 and gives athletes like Trainor a chance to follow their dreams. Last season, the league included 11 American teams and one Canadian team, the Toronto Arrows. Trainor has previously taken part in the Toronto Arrows Academy.

Trainor is no stranger to the pitch, making a name for himself at Queen’s University while he was studying civil engineering. According to Queen’s Athletics, Trainor helped the team win an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship in 2019 and two OUA silver medals …