By Daniel Nhakaniso
Former Zimbabwe rugby youth international Aaron Juma has made a massive leap in his fledgling career after earn a professional contract with Old Glory DC through the fifth edition of the Major League Rugby (MLR) Collegiate draft.
The 23-year-old backrow forward was snapped up by Old Glory DC during the 2024 edition of the MLR Collegiate Draft, which took place on Wednesday.
Juma was the 17th overall pick as he sealed his move to Old Glory DC during the draft, where a total of 36 players were selected across three rounds with all 12 teams from the 2024 season participating.
Juma’s breakthrough move will see him treading in the footsteps of the Rugby World Cup winning Zimbabwe-born Springbok legend Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, who had a stint in the MLR with Old Glory DC four years ago before his retirement from the sport.
The Bulawayo-born rising star is yet to be capped by Zimbabwe at senior level but has featured for the Goshawks which acts as the feeder team to te Sables.
Juma’s selection during the MLR draft came on the back of a very successful collegiate career with Wheeling University, whose rugby team is affectionately known as the Cardinals.
Over the last two seasons, Juma has helped the Cardinal program rise to a National Championship level.
During those two seasons, Juma has recorded 40 tries totaling 200 points between his 15’s and 7’s seasons with the Cardinals.
He is one of just four Cardinals all-time to reach the 200 career point mark, joining Joe Iye, Ayoub Jalli, and Mohamed Haddar on that list.
During the 2024 7’s Spring season, Juma played a major role in the team’s first-ever National Championship, tying for the team lead with 10 tries across five games at the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) National 7’s.
He would be the one to open the scoring in the National Championship game, getting the Cardinals a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game.
For his efforts on the field, Juma is a two-time National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) DI All-American and has been selected twice to play in the NCR Rugby Shield Challenge.
Juma missed most of the 2023 15’s season with the Cardinals after being selected to play for the Zimbabwe national team over the summer and has also had selections to the Pittsburgh Forge U23 team, as well as an appearance at the Pittsburgh Steeltoes Talent ID camp.
This past summer, Juma was one of three Wheeling representatives at the USA France Rugby Centennial, traveling to play in three matches honoring a historic rugby tradition.
Along with his success on the pitch, Juma also shined in the classroom this past season, earning his first ever NCR Scholastic All-American.