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Stan van den Hoven will play no part for the New England Free Jacks in the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The towering Dutchman suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Taranaki in New Zealand’s Provincial Championship against Bay of Plenty. He is now expected to be sidelined for several months.
This past season, his first in Boston, saw the 23-year-old playing a key role in New England’s engine room alongside captain Josh Larsen. van den Hoven played 16 games in the right side of the scrum, starting 14, and proved a dominant figure in the lineout. His contract was to run through the 2023 campaign.
The Free Jacks have already filled the roster spot with the acquisition of Conor Keys from Rugby ATL, who joins Larsen and Reegan O’Gorman in giving the team three Canadian international options at lock. Javon Camp, who traveled to Uruguay with the USA Selects in 2021, is also in the senior squad.
