Spencer Krueger

Illinois prop Spencer Krueger played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A native of Arlington Heights, IL, Spencer Krueger attended Ohio State University where he was named a Collegiate All-American in 2018. He played rugby with the Buckeyes, captaining the team for the 2019/20 season when he declared for MLR’s inaugural Collegiate Draft where he was selected in the 2nd Round, 18th overall by the New England Free Jacks.

The Free Jacks promptly signed Krueger ahead of the 2021 MLR season, where he earned his debut in May as a reserve against Rugby ATL. In his rookie season, he earned 3 appearances off the bench, which he would double the following year in 2022. Through two seasons with New England, Krueger earned 9 appearances as a reserve, completing 26 tackles and running for 48m gained with ball in hand.

Achievements

MLR Draftee: 2020 – 2nd Round (18th Overall) – New England Free Jacks

Ewan Brumwell

Stephan Coetzee

South African hooker Stephan Coetzee played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2021. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Coetzee had a standout year in his debut MLR season in 2019, scoring 8 of his 10 MLR tries and appearing in all 18 of Seattle’s 2019 matches, starting 16 en route to the Seawolves’ 2nd Championship.

Tuidraki Samusamuvodre

Sef Fa’agase

Tera Mtembu

Harrison Boyle

US-born, New Zealand raised back three player Harrison Boyle played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022, and again from 2025-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Born in Boston, MA, Boyle and his family returned to his native New Zealand when he was young. He played rugby while attending St. Patrick’s College, Silverstream between 2013-2017, playing with the 1st XV for two years and co-captained the 2017 team which won the Wellington Schools Championship. He attended a U17 and U18 development camp with the Hurricanes in his final few years at St. Patrick’s College, and represented the Otago U19 academy side in 2018 & 2019, playing in the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 Tournament which earned him a spot on the New Zealand U20 Development Camp in 2020. He was named to the New Zealand U20 side for the 2020 Junior World Championship before it was cancelled due to COVID.

Boyle was signed by the New England Free Jacks for the 2021 MLR season, returning to the land of his birth. He represented the Free Jacks for two seasons between 2021-2022, starting 16 of his 25 games. He gained over 500m in possession, and completed 105 tackles in total including 88 tackles in 2021. Following the 2022 season, Boyle returned to New Zealand to complete his law degree at the University of Otago. On January 31st, 2025, when the New England Free Jacks revealed their full roster for the 2025 Campaign, fans were surprised to see Harrison Boyle’s name back in the squad, returning to MLR for his 3rd season after 2 years away.

In 2025, Harrison Boyle scored 2 tries in 16 appearances (8 starts) to help the Free Jacks secure their 3rd successive Shield, the first of Boyle’s career. He recorded a career high of 315m gained to take his career total over 800, as well as 39 tackles. On 3rd December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Harrison Boyle along with scrumhalf Oscar Lennon.

achievements

2025 MLR Champion: New England Free Jacks
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 9

Akeli Morris-Lome

Justin Johnson

California native Justin Johnson played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A native of Inglewood, CA, flanker Justin Johnson attended the rugby powerhouse Life University and was named a Collegiate All-American twice while there, winning two national championships and also representing the USA U20s and USA Selects. He was one of MLR’s first ever draft picks, being selected in the 1st Round, 6th Overall by the New England Free Jacks in MLR’s Inaugural Collegiate Draft in 2020.

During his rookie season, Johnson was a key contributor for the Free Jacks. He started 9 of his 14 appearances for New England, scoring 1 try and completing 70 tackles while running for just under 200m gained. He would add another 3 appearances off the bench for the Free Jacks the following season, in 2022.

Since 2022, Johnson has served as assistant coach at Harvard (2022-2024) and has coached the USA U20s winter camp in 2023. In February 2025, he joined the Penn State Men’s Rugby coaching team as an assistant coach.

Achievements:

MLR Draftee: 2020 – 1st Round (6th Overall) – New England Free Jacks

Joe Johnston

US-Eligible New Zealand flanker Joe ‘The Mechanic’ Johnston played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023, and again in 2025. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Nicknamed ‘The Mechanic’, Johnston captained the Bay of Plenty U19 squad in 2017, earning a contract with the Bay of Plenty senior side whom he has played with for every NPC season since 2019. Johnston’s move stateside was announced by the New England Free Jacks in September 2020, ahead of the 2021 MLR season. He was a regular starter in the Free Jacks lineup during his time in New England, earning 48 total caps (37 starts) and scoring 8 tries. He recorded 195 tackles in 2021, finishing 7th in MLR, and improved this in 2022 with a total of 220 tackles, again finishing 7th in MLR. He appeared in 17 games during both 2022 and in 2023, and the final season of his first stint in MLR saw Johnston racking up over 500m gained and completing 161 tackles, and finished as an MLR Champion after defeating the San Diego Legion 24-25 in Chicago.

On 1st December 2023, the New England Free Jacks announced the departure of Joe Johnston, who returned to his native New Zealand to complete his education. He represented Bay of Plenty in the 2024 NPC in New Zealand and following a year out of MLR, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Joe Johnston on November 7th, 2024, ahead of the 2025 MLR season. Johnston Captained the 2025 Free Jacks team, appearing in all 19 games as New England completed MLR’s first ever Threepeat, securing their 3rd Shield in a row after defeating the Houston SaberCats at Centreville Bank Stadium in Rhode Island. Johnston scored 2 tries and started 17 times, recording his second 200+ tackle season with a career high 224, finishing T-4th League-wide with San Diego Legion Captain, Brad Wilkin. Johnston was an All-MLR Honorable Mention for his 2025 season.