New Zealand centre/fullback Kienan Higgins played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A native of Upper Hutt, Kienan Higgins attended St. Patrick’s College in Silverstream, representing the 1st XV before moving up to Waikato and playing with Nothern United where he scored 18 tries in 32 games including a Jubilee Cup title in 2019. Staying on New Zealand’s North Island, Higgins joined Hawke’s Bay for their 2021 NPC season, and has represented the Magpies for their last 5 NPC campaigns, starting 13 of his 21 appearances and scoring 4 tries. 12 of these starts came in the 2024 & 2025 seasons.

On 22nd December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Kienan Higgins for their 2026 title defence. Prior to linking up with the Free Jacks, the Scottish-qualified Higgins signed a short-term deal with Edinburgh Rugby in the URC. Once he landed in New England, he was a standout in a disappointing year for the Free Jacks. He started all 9 of his appearances, scoring 2 tries and contributing an assist on over 325m gained in possession, while completing over 120 tackles for an average of 13.4 tackles per game. For his efforts, he was awarded a pair of MLR Team of the Week Selections.

Towards the end of the MLR season on May 27th, Edinburgh announced that they had signed Higgins to a full 1yr contract for their 2026/27 URC campaign, linking up with his younger brother Riley in the Scottish capital.

achievements

• MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 9
• MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 2

NARDB Player #1,650