Super Bowl LVII will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs playing for the championship of the NFL. 

But the game will also feature a former standout youth rugby star from Australia, Jordan Mailata. 

Mailata has started 40 games for the Eagles at left tackle since joining the league in 2018, but before he was an Eagle, Mailata was a member of the South Sydney Rabbitohs’ U-20s team. 

The 25-year-old eventually made his way to the NFL, where he was the second player ever to be drafted with no football playing experience. 

But the experience concerns probably took a back seat to Mailata’s 6-foot-8, and at the time, 348 pound frame. 

Here’s what you need to know about Jordan Mailata’s rugby career. 

Jordan Mailata Played Rugby In Australia

Mailata started his rugby career with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulls, an under-18 team that plays in the National Rugby League. In 2014, he fainted a week before the team played in the S.G. Ball Cup and needed heart surgery. 

He eventually was offered a contract by the South Sydney Rabbitohs after a scout saw him play post-surgery for the Five Dock RSL Junior Rugby League. 

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Jordan Mailata Played Rugby For A Team Owned By Russell Crowe

Mailata signed to play for the Rabbitohs on a one-year deal in 2017. 

The Rabbitohs are co-owned by Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe. 

Mailata played 12 games and scored eight tries in 2017 for the Rabbitohs. 

Mailata was offered a reserve contract by South Sydney where he would be sent to the North Sydney Bears, the reserve team. Reports at the time indicated Mailata was just too big, and coaches didn’t know if he would be able to play with the Rabbitohs. 

He turned down the reserve contract and began his NFL training.

Jordan Mailata Was Drafted By The Philadelphia Eagles

Mailata traveled to the United States to train for the NFL Draft, where he put on considerable weight. 

The Eagles took Mailata in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft as the 233rd overall pick. He became the starting left tackle for the Eagles in 2020, where he blossomed into one of the league’s better blind-side blockers. 

In August 2021, he signed a 4-year, $64 million deal with the Eagles. 

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Jordan Mailata: Rugby Player, NFL Star, Masked Singer Contestant 

He may be 6-foot-8 and 364 pounds and known for his physical, rugby-style play, but Jordan Mailata has a soft voice that led him to compete on the Fox Reality Show The Masked Singer. He appeared on Season 7 as “Thingamabob.”

Mailata also sang on a Philadelphia Eagles Christmas album. 

Jordan Mailata Rugby Highlights

Here are clips from Mailata’s time playing rugby in Australia. 

When Will Jordan Mailata And The Philadelphia Eagles Play In The Super Bowl?

The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m. The game is on Fox.