New Zealand scrumhalf Kieran McClea played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2023) and the Utah Warriors (2024).

McClea attended the University of Otago from 2017-2021, representing the University throughout as well as New Zealand Universities in 2021. Following his graduation, McClea represented Otago in the Bunning’s NPC in 2022 before making the move to the USA ahead of the 2023 MLR season, signing with the New England Free Jacks. In his debut season in North America, McClea earned 6 appearances for the Free Jacks, starting 4 times and scoring 3 tries during the regular season. The Free Jacks would finish as the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference in 2023, advancing to the Championship Final where they defeated the San Diego Legion 24-25 at Seatgeek Stadium in Chicago to lift the 2023 Shield.

Following the 2023 season, McClea returned to New Zealand to play with Otago in the NPC once more. On 17^th January 2024, the New England Free Jacks traded McClea to the Utah Warriors in exchange for Utah’s 2^nd Rd Draft Pick in the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft (selection unknown), as well as 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown), and on 17th January 2024 the Utah Warriors confirmed the signing of Kieran McClea for their 2024 MLR campaign. He appeared in all 16 Warriors games of the 2024 season, starting 9 times and scoring 5 tries. McClea also recorded just under 500m gained, relatively high for a scrum-half.

Achievements:

• MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
• MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 9
• MLR Champion: 2023 (New England Free Jacks)