Rugby United New York signed Jonas Petrakopoulos for the 2020 Major League Rugby season. The 21-year-old prop/hooker is 5’11” and 240 lbs.
Jonas was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands with both parents from the U.S. He began playing rugby in the seventh grade when living in Liverpool, England and his family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana prior to going into eighth grade. He spent his first two years at Herron and then transferred to Bishop Chatard in Indianapolis.
He played rugby for the Royal Irish and won High School Rugby National Championships in 2014, 2015, and in 2017. He won All-Conference honors while at Bishop Chatard in 2016, was an Indiana All-State selection in 2016 and in 2017, as well as a High School All-American in 2016 and in 2017. He was also the 2017 Indiana High School Rugby Player of the Year.
Jonas played for the USA High School All-Americans against Canada in Ontario in 2016 and for the Major Junior All-Americans U19s against Canada in 2017. In 2016 he also played for Netherlands U18s in Portugal and later the U20s. As a dual national, it is still to be determined whether he plays for the Senior USA Men or the Dutch National Team. With USA Coach Greg McWilliams at RUNY, it is hoped that as he develops, that he will be on the U.S. radar.
In 2018 he played for SAS Rugby and in 2019 played with Greeton Marist and then Ngawha, the Bay of Plenty Development side, after the club season ended. In 2020 he returns to the U.S. to play for Rugby United New York.
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