Dutch lock Stan van den Hoven played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2024. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2022-2023) and the Miami Sharks (2024).

A Netherlands U20 player, van den Hoven moved to New Zealand in 2017 to hone his game. He played on the national championship-winning Bay of Plenty U19 Provincial Squad and was named player of the year, before training with the New Zealand U20 squad in preparation for the World Rugby U20s Championships. He made his pro debut with Bay of Plenty in the Mitre 10 Cup (now the NPC) in 2019, earning 7 appearances through 2020. The following year he was selected for the Chiefs Super Rugby squad, making appearances for the development squad but missing out on a Super Rugby debut.

Van den Hoven signed with the New England Free Jacks ahead of their 2022 MLR season, and earned 16 appearances (14 starts), completing 200 tackles and finishing T-10th in MLR in this category. He spent the MLR off-season in the NPC with Taranaki before suffering an injury that ruled him out of both the NPC and the 2023 MLR season, when his club the Free Jacks lifted the Shield after defeating the San Diego Legion 24-25 in Chicago. He played with the Manawatu Turbos in the 2023 NPC season after getting healthy, before returning to MLR this time with the Miami Sharks for their inaugural season in 2024. Van den Hoven earned another 14 starts in 14 games for the Sharks, completing another 165 tacklers alongside 2023 1st overall pick Rick Rose for much of the season.

achievements

• MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 8
• T-10th in MLR Tackling: 2022 (200)