League: Major League Rugby

Founded in 2017 with it’s inaugural season played in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) is the highest level of professional rugby in North America.

Kyle Ciquera

Connecticut native Kyle Ciquera played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Ciquera took up rugby mid-way through his time at Bishop Hendricken High School while also playing football and hockey. He attended St. Bonaventure University between 2015-2019, playing rugby throughout where he was named a three-time 1st team D1A Rugby East All-Conference and a three-time Collegiate All-American. Ciquera played with the New England Free Jacks during their ‘Cara Cup’ exhibition season where they faced the ‘A’ sides of all four Irish Provinces.

Ciquera began his MLR career as a reserve prop, earning 12 appearances from the bench between 2020-2021, but came into his own during the 2022 where he earned his first 10 starts in MLR and 14 appearances. He has represented the Free Jacks for 5 MLR seasons, and has been a regular starter since 2022, earning a total of 56 appearances, and 33 starts since 2022. His only MLR try to date came in 2023. He was a significant contributor to the Free Jacks’ back-to-back Shield campaigns in 2023 & 2024, coming off the bench in the 2023 Final against the San Diego Legion. Ciquera is one of the few founding Free Jacks remaining with the team.

On October 16th, 2024, the Free Jacks announced the return of Kyle Ciquera for the 2025 MLR season where he had relatively limited involvement during New England’s successful threepeat, starting 2 of his 7 appearances to help the team lift their (and Ciquera’s) 3rd successive Shield and scoring just his 2nd career try in 63 MLR appearances for the New England Free Jacks.

achievements

Jackson Thiebes

Montana native Jackson Thiebes played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2021, and again between 2024-2025. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

The Oregon-born lock attended the University of Montana between 2013-2017, excelling at both gridiron Football and Rugby. He is a member of Mystic River Rugby Club in New England and represented the New England Free Jacks during their exhibition season in 2019. He stuck with the Free Jacks for their inaugural MLR season in 2020, earning 3 appearances (all starts) through the first 5 games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the league returned Thiebes started all 16 of the Free Jacks’ games during the regular season as they fell short of a playoff spot in 2021, and was signed through the 2022 season but opted to step away from the game to focus on his career outside of rugby. He finished T-8th in MLR for tackles completed during the 2021 season, tying with Rugby ATL’s Matt Heaton on 184.

On 20th December 2023, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Jackson Thiebes for the 2024 MLR season, where he served as a depth player earning 3 starts and 8 further appearances, helping the Free Jacks to the 2024 playoffs where they lifted their second of back-to-back MLR Shields, Thiebes’ first. On October 29th, 2024, the Free Jacks announced the return of Thiebes for the 2025 season.

achievements:

  • 2024 MLR Champion: New England Free Jacks
  • T-8th in MLR Tackling: 2021 (184)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 7
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 5

Quentin Newcomer

Virgina native Quentin Newcomer played in Major League Rugby from 2020-2025. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2020-2022) and Old Glory DC (2023-2025).

A native of Fairfax, VA, Newcomer attended Oakton High School before attending Virginia Commonwealth University from 2015-2018. Newcomer began playing rugby while at college, playing with Steamboat Springs Rugby Club for two seasons and also joining the James River Rugby Club. Newcomer can play both loosehead and tighthead prop, and played with the New England Free Jacks in their exhibition season, the Cara Cup, in 2019. He remained with the Free Jacks as they entered MLR, earning 24 appearances (9 starts) for New England between 2020-2022.

In September 2022, the New England Free Jacks traded Newcomer to their rivals Old Glory DC in exchange for 2023 Salary Cap Space, and Old Glory’s 2nd Rd Pick in the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft, which the Free Jacks used to select 2024 Rookie of the Year Junior Gafa. Newcomer has earned 27 appearances (6 starts) in his first two seasons with the Flags, scoring a try each season as Old Glory DC qualified for the post-season both years, falling to Newcomers former team, the Free Jacks, both years. To date Newcomer has 51 MLR appearances (15 starts), scoring 3 tries and completing 170 tackles to date. On December 1st, 2024, Old Glory DC announced the return of Quentin Newcomer for his 6th MLR season in 2025.

Mitch Wilson

US-Eligible Australian wing/fullback Mitch Wilson played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2020-2024, 2026) and Anthem RC (2025).

Wilson began playing rugby at a young age in his native Australia, beginning with Rugby League up until the age of 14, when he made the switch to rugby union. At age 15, he and his family moved from Australia to Florida where he played with the Orlando Rugby U19s. He graduated from Oviedo High School ion 2015, and enrolled at rugby powerhouse Life University between 2015-2019. While at Life, Wilson won three D1A National Championships with the Running Eagles in 2016, 2018, & 2019, and captained the team between 2017-2019. Wilson represented the USA at U20 level in 2016, the USA Selects in 2017 & 2018 APC tournaments, and earned his full test debut as USA Eagle #555 against Kenya in November 2022.

Wilson entered MLR in 2020 with the New England Free Jacks expansion side, and represented them for 5 seasons between 2020-2024. He earned a total of 57 MLR caps in New England including a high of 16 in 2024, starting 51 times (PB of 14 in 2022) and scoring 17 tries total, 7 of which came in 2022, and 104pts. He recorded almost 2,900m gained in possession and over 325 tackles as a Free Jack, and was a key part of the Free Jacks team that won back-to-back MLR Shields in 2023 & 2024, starting the 2023 Final and coming off the bench in the 2024 Final.

On October 11th 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the departure of Mitch Wilson after 5 seasons with the club. While Wilson’s next team is not yet public, NARDB can confirm he will return to MLR for 2025. On October 15th 2024, USA Rugby included Wilson in their Squad for the 2024 End-of-year tests against Portugal, Tonga, and Spain. On this list, Wilson was listed as an Anthem RC player, unintentionally leaking Wilson’s destination for MLR 2025. This was confirmed when Anthem RC revealed their full 2025 roster on January 21st, 2025. In his lone season with the Rising Stars, Wilson added an 18th MLR try and 47pts in his 11 appearances (10 starts), pushing his career total points scored over 150pts (151). He also stayed consistent in metres gained, recording over 700m for the 4th season in a row to take his career total there to 3,614m.

Following the restructuring of the league in the 2025/26 offseason, Mitch Wilson returned to the New England Free Jacks ahead of the 2026 season, which was confirmed by the team on 13th November, 2025. NARDB understands that this move was the reason why Free Jacks GM Tom Kindley was cited for violating MLR’s Anti-Tampering policy, which cost New England their 2026 1st Round Draft Pick (sent to Anthem RC) and a salary cap deduction.

Achievements