Position: Number 8

Jesse Parete

Kiwi back row Jesse Parete represented the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby during the 2022 & 2023 seasons. A part of the Free Jacks team that finished with the best record in MLR history at the time (13-3), the 29yo former Highlanders man earned 8 MLR caps (5 starts) during the 2022 season, scoring 1 try.

He gained 274m on 52 ball carries and made 43 tackles for a success rate of 71.67%. He earned the nickname ‘The Pest’ from Free Jacks fans.

On October 12, 2022, an ARN report concerning the Free Jacks signing of Mitch Jacobson confirmed that Jesse Parete would not be returning for MLR’s 2023 season, but circumstances change and in March 2023 the Free Jacks announced that Parete would return for the remainder of the 2023 season. Parete’s 2023 season was a mixed bag. Although the Free Jacks did capture their first MLR Shield, he earned a further 6 MLR caps but also received 2 red cards (both for cumulative yellows) and earned a number of sanctions that came along with it, placing him on the sidelines more regularly than the pitch.

He was included on the Taranaki Bulls roster when they announced it for their 2023 NPC roster, and it is unknown if Jesse Parete will return for the 2024 MLR season.

MLR Achievements:

2023 MLR Champion – NE Free Jacks
MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Week 8
MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Week 13

Terrell Peita

New Zealand back rower Terrell Peita played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season. He reprensented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Although only 21 when he joined New England, Peita had already featured for Auckland in New Zealand’s National Provincial Championship a number of times as well as representing their U19 side. He plays his club rugby with Ponsonby, and has already been selected for the Blues U20 and All Blacks U20 squads in his young career.

The New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Peita in November 2021 ahead of the 2022 season. The young back row started 8 of his 10 appearances for the Free Jacks in his debut season, scoring 1 try and runniong for over 300m gained in possession while completing 65 tackles. Peita was initially signed on a 3yr deal through the 2024 MLR season, but headed back to New Zealand after the 2022 campaign to rejoin Auckland, scoring 4 tries in 5 games during the 2022 NPC. Although he has represented Auckland, Manawatu, and Northland in the NPC since leaving the Free Jacks, he has not returned to MLR.

Wian Conradie

Namibian loose forward Wian Conradie has played in Major League Rugby since 2021. Initially signed by the Dallas Jackals, he signed with the New England Free Jacks following the Jackals’ deferral to 2022, and has represented the Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

He signed with Gloucester in the English Premiership for their 2021/22 season, but returned to the Free Jacks part way through the 2022 MLR season. He started 16 games for the Free Jacks during their 2023 campaign, scoring 7 tries and gaining 1,262m with ball in hand (7th in MLR) as well as completing 234 tackles (3rd in MLR)in a season where he was named MLR Forward of the Year, as well as lifting the shield with the Free Jacks following a dramatic 24-25 victory over the San Diego Legion in Chicago.

Conradie returned for the Free Jacks‘ title defence, but only managed 7 further appearances before injury cut his season short. To date, Conradie has made 44 starts in 47 games for New England, scoring 15 tries and carrying for over 3000m gained, not to mention his nearly 700 completed tackles. On October 22nd, 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Wian Conradie for their 2025 MLR campaign. Conradie matches his career high in both starts and appearances in 2025, starting all 16 of his appearances and scoring 5 tries to take his career total to 20. Conradie recorded his 3rd 200+ tackle campaign, finishing 8th League-wide with 210 tackles completed and recording over 550m in possession, contributing significantly to the Free Jacks finishing atop the Eastern Conference, and completing the Threepeat for their (and Conradie’s) 3rd straight MLR Shield with Conradie starting all 3 playoff games in 2025. Conradie was named to the 2025 All-MLR 1st XV for his performance.

Achievements

2025 All-MLR First XV Selection
2025 MLR Champion: New England Free Jacks
8th in MLR Tackling: 2025 (210)
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 15
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
2024 MLR Champion: New England Free Jacks
MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
2023 MLR Forward of the Year
2023 MLR Champion New England Free Jacks
2023 Free Jacks Fan’s Player of the Year
3rd in MLR Tackling: 2023 (234)
7th in MLR Meters Gained: 2023 (1,262m)
2021 Free Jacks Player’s Player of the Year
3rd in MLR Tackling: 2021 (216)

Brad Hemopo

Cyrille Cama

Fijian born US-eligible back row/hooker Cyrille Cama played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022, and again between 2024-2026. He represented the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), the San Diego Legion (2024-2025), the New England Free Jacks (2026), and the California Legion (2026).

Born and raised in Fiji, Cama moved to the US in 2013. He has represented the USA U20s as well as the Rhinos Rugby Academy in Sacramento, California, with whom he played in the World Tens Series in Bermuda in 2020, and in the Rugby Tens Championship (R10C) in South Africa in 2022.

Cama signed with the LA Giltinis on a short term contract as injury/Olympics coverage, earning his MLR debut during the regular season as the Giltinis were crowned MLR champions in their inaugural season following a 31-17 victory over Rugby ATL in the final. Cama re-signed with the Giltinis for the 2022 season, earning an additional 12 appearances and scoring 1 try. Following the disqualification of the Giltinis prior to the 2022 playoffs, and their subsequent cessation of operations post-season, Cama moved to Australia to play with the prestigious Randwick club in the Shute Shield competition.

On 8th November 2023, the San Diego Legion announced the signing of Cyrille Cama ahead of the 2024 MLR season. In his first season with Legion, Cama set career highs across the board, earning his first two MLR starts and appearing in 16 games, scoring 3 tries for 17pts and running for almost 300m gained while completing 60 tackles. On November 21st, 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Cyrille Cama for their 2025 MLR season, although he did not feature at MLR level. Following the 2025 season, the San Diego Legion and Rugby FC LA announced that the two sides were merging to create the California Legion for the 2026 season. Following this news, Cyrille Cama headed to the East Coast, and signed with the reigning Champion New England Free Jacks on 19th November 2025. Cama did not feature for the Free Jacks through the first half of the 2026 season however, and on 5th May 2026 the California Legion announced that they had signed him for the remainder of the season. It is unknown if this was a trade between New England and California.

Achievements:

2021 MLR Champion: LA Giltinis

Langilangi Haupeakui

Christian Poidevin

Australian flanker Christian Poidevin played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), the San Diego Legion (2023-2025), and the California Legion (2026).

The son of Wallabies legend and 1991 RWC winning Captain Simon Poidevin, Christian’s signing was announced by the LA Giltinis in December of 2020, ahead of their inaugural MLR season in 2021. He joined from Randwick in the Shute Shield competition in Australia, a legendary Rugby club. In his first professional season in North America, Poidevin earned 12 caps with the Giltinis, scoring 2 tries. He started both of LA’s Championship Series games that season including the final, where the Giltinis saw off Rugby ATL (now LA) 31-17 to claim the MLR Shield in their inaugural season. Poidevin would appear in all 16 games of the 2022 regular season for LA, starting 14 times and adding 2 more tries to his total before the franchise was disqualified shortly before the 2022 playoffs, and eventually ceased operations in the offseason. He had completed 200 tackles in 2022 and finished T-10th in MLR in this category

Poidevin was selected by Rugby ATL (now Rugby FC LA) in the subsequent dispersal draft but chose to instead remain in Southern California, signing with the San Diego Legion ahead of the 2023 MLR season. He appeared in a 12 games during the Legion’s record-breaking 15-1 season, scoring 4 tries during the regular season and a 5th in the Championship Series, where he started both games for San Diego as they fell 24-25 to the New England Free Jacks in the Championship Final in Chicago.

On 13th October 2023, the San Diego Legion announced that they had signed Poidevin to a 3yr contract that would see him remain in California through the 2026 MLR season. With links to Chicago through his mother’s side of the family, this has led some to speculate that Poidevin may be eyeing a USA International cap in the future. On November 7th, 2024, the Legion confirmed his return for the 2025 season. Despite the Legion missing out on the postseason by a single point, Poidevin had an excellent 2025 season. He set a new career high with 8 tries scored in his 14 games, starting 11 times. He also added another 170 tackles to his total, and just under 300m gained in possession. For his considerable efforts, he was named as the 2025 San Diego Legion Player’s Player of the Year.

To confirm thoughts that Poidevin was eyeing a career as a USA Eagle, he was included in the USA’s 32-man squad for their July 2025 tests, and earned his debut as Eagle #593 against England. Following the merger of the San Diego Legion with Rugby FC LA to create the California Legion, Poidevin became the first player confirmed by the club for their 2026 campaign on 14th January, 2026.