The New England Free Jacks added Liam Steel for the 2020 Major League Rugby season. The 29-year-old center (30 in May) is 6’0″ and 205lbs.
During the inaugural 2020 MLR season, Liam started the first two matches in Las Vegas against Rugby United New York with a stellar try and the Utah Warriors with 10 tackles and a 100% success rate. An injury sustained against Utah sidelined him for two weeks, but he came back against NOLA Gold, scoring a crucial try and making another 10 tackles.
Liam is from Auckland, New Zealand, and attended Saint Kentigern High school from 2005 until his graduation in 2009. He attended the University of Auckland from 2011-2014 and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Media, Criminology. From 2012-2015 he worked in Sales for Triumph & Disaster, LTD, and in 2019 was a Client Engagement Specialist for Avance Freight Limited.
Liam played representative age-grade rugby for Auckland. He represented the New Zealand Universities on multiple occasions and played Mite 10 Cup Rugby for Auckland in 2016 and for the Bay of Plenty in 2017-2019. He was named the 2018 Bay of Plenty Steamers Back of the Year. In 2015 he was selected for the All Blacks Sevens Development Team for the Noosa International Sevens. He also has spent time on the Blues and the Chiefs Super Rugby Development sides.
Liam was recommended as a “worthy” Bachelor by the New Zealand press in 2015. Not afraid to jump in a boxing ring to help raise awareness for Testicular Cancer, Liam will be a great addition to the Free Jacks commitment to helping to improve communities in New England through rugby.
New England Free Jacks Comments
“I thoroughly enjoyed my first crusade with the Free Jacks in 2020,” commented Steel. “We have a great mix of guys and I’m really excited by the trajectory we are taking. I feel like I have a lot to bring to the table between my experience and desire to get back out there, and having barely got my feet wet this past year I’m ready to return for the ride in 2021!”
“Liam has proved a great addition to the Free Jacks,” commented Free Jacks Performance Manager, Tom Kindley. “A slippery ball carrier with an innate ability to find a seam, Liam is a loveable character within the side and the kind of player who leaves it all out there week in week out. Liam provides important maturity and experience to our midfield where he reads and narrates the game well. Liam also gives us versatility with his ability to use his pace on either wing. We look forward to seeing more scything carries and momentum-killing tackles from Steelo in 2021.
Free Jacks fans should get ready for yet another influential year from Steel, who, after finishing the 2020 MLR Season with a 97% tackle success rate and showing his scintillating talents on the attack, is ready to lead the Free Jacks’ from the front once again in 2021.
Join Liam and the Free Jacks for a virtual Town Hall “News and Brews,” on November 12. Grab a Free Jacks IPA, 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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