The New England Free Jacks signed Sean Ralph for the 2024 Major League Rugby season. The 20-year-old hooker (21 in June) is 5’10” and 225 lbs.
Sean was born in Richard’s Bay, South Africa, and moved to New Zealand when he was three years old in 2006. Sean attended Hamilton Boys High School from 2017 through his graduation in 2021 and played rugby on the first XV. He was the Head Boy, a role that requires strong leadership and ‘mana’ (respect) in New Zealand’s traditional boys’ schools. In 2021 was honored with the Nelson Memorial and Old Boys Prize for Leadership.
He has attended the University of Waikato since 2022, majoring in Mechatronics Engineering and projects to graduate in 2025. He did not play rugby at the university but played club rugby with Te Awamutu Sports.
Sean was selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools in 2021, the New Zealand U20 Barbarians in 2022, and played for the Super Rugby Chiefs Under-20 squad this past March, and will make his Major League Rugby debut with the Free Jacks in 2024.
In 2023 he played rugby in the New Zealand National Provincial Championship (NPC) with Waikato.
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