The New England Free Jacks added Kyle Ciquera for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 23-year-old prop is 6’0″ and 260 lbs.
Kyle played the first three matches of the 2020 MLR season as a reserve at tighthead prop and then two matches at loosehead.
Kyle is from Putnam, Connecticut, and attended Bishop Hendricken High School until 2015. He played football and hockey and began playing rugby in 9th grade.
Kyle went to St Bonaventure University from 2015-2019 and majored in Finance, Business Administration, and Management. He was a three-time 1st team D1A Rugby East All-Conference And a three-time Collegiate All-American.
Kyle was selected to play with the Free Jacks against the Connacht Eagles during the 2019 exhibition season. He played for the New England Selects in the 2020 Free Jacks exhibition season, as well as for the Free jacks. He also played for Mystic River in the American Rugby Premiership in 2019. He also played with Sumner RFC in New Zealand.
New England Free Jacks Comments
“To return home for the 2021 season and play for the New England Free Jacks is a tremendous honor and it is a privilege to be a part of this organization,” said Ciquera. “As a New England lad, to represent my region as a professional rugby player is a dream come true and I can’t wait for the season to get started. More minutes, more fans, and more mullet on the menu this year.”
“‘The Eagle,’ as Kyle is known in these parts, had a quick rise in 2020, playing a preseason match with the New England Independents one weekend then suiting up in the starting lineup for the Free Jacks the next week,” commented Performance Manager, Tom Kindley. “The Independents side functioned just how we had hoped in this regard and provided Kyle the opportunity to play for the Free Jacks.”
“Ciquera impressed our international front-row trio of Hatakeyama (Japan), Brighouse (Samoa), and Purpura (USA),” added Kindley. “He recorded three appearances off the bench during the shortened season and showed his drive to learn and develop. We look forward to seeing where the young prop forward’s continued application takes him.”
Kyle and the Free Jacks today announced the Mullets and Mustaches for Mental Health campaign to raise awareness, fight stigma, encourage understanding, and fund education programs to ensure hundreds of thousands of families, individuals, and educators get the support and information needed on mental health. Free Jacks around the world can directly support the National Alliance on Mental Illness via the team’s fundraising page at https://donate.nami.org/profile/55548
Want to get involved? We encourage you to participate in the Mullets and Mustaches campaign by donning a mullet, mustache, or hairstyle for National Suicide Prevention Week, September 6th – September 12th. With the best mullet and mustache combination in sports, our very own Kyle Ciquera will be leading the charge. All members of the Free Jacks’ community can submit their best photos to info@freejacks.com or tag us, @NEFreeJacks on Instagram or Twitter. Submissions to the Mullet and Mo competition will be judged by the Eagle himself, Kyle Ciquera at News & Brews on Thursday, September 10th. The winner will receive the Eagle supporter’s bundle – all proceeds from the hat, mullet replica, and T-shirts to go towards this important fundraiser.
Join Kyle and the Free Jacks community for a virtual meet and greet, “News & Brews,” Thursday, September 10th. Grab a Free Jacks IPA and join the virtual gathering and get to know the newest Free Jacks and the returning players. RSVP using the link here: https://www.freejacks.com/news-and-brews/.
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