Luke Jacobson: captained the Under 20s to a world title, then the Chiefs to three straight finals

On 18 June 2017, in Tbilisi, a 20-year-old loose forward from Cambridge captained New Zealand to the World Rugby Under 20 title and scored twice in a 64-17 final win over England. Nine years later he had led the Chiefs to three straight Super Rugby Pacific finals, played his 100th game for them and captained the All Blacks in Durban. Luke Jacobson has 30 Tests as a flanker and No 8. This is the story of his career so far.

Where he comes from

Jacobson was born in Cambridge, in the Waikato, on 20 April 1997, and his whole professional career has been spent in the Waikato. The Chiefs describe him as "born and bred in Cambridge". He went to Cambridge High School and plays his club rugby for Hautapu.

Rugby ran through the family. The NZ Rugby Museum's profile records that he first played alongside his older brother Mitch, before both went on to represent Waikato and the Chiefs, while their eldest brother Kane played for North Harbour. Luke grew up supporting the Chiefs, he said in 2025, and watched a lot of games growing up at the Hamilton stadium where he would later bring up his century. He told the Waikato Herald in April 2026 that as a young fella, "I never thought [I would] ... be able to play for Waikato".

Schools, Under 19s and a world title

He made the New Zealand Schools team in 2014. Two years later he captained Waikato at the 2016 Jock Hobbs Memorial Under 19 Tournament and was named Player of the Tournament, and he played for the New Zealand Under 20 side that year too.

In 2017 he was the Under 20 captain. The side that went to Georgia was full of future All Blacks, among them Will Jordan, Caleb Clarke, Asafo Aumua and Dalton Papali'i, and it went through the tournament unbeaten. In the final against England at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi, on 18 June 2017, Jacobson scored on the stroke of half-time and again two minutes from the end. New Zealand won 64-17. He played 15 games for the Under 20s across the two seasons.

Waikato and the Chiefs

Jacobson made his Waikato debut later in 2017, and a year later, at 21, he was captaining the province in the NPC. By April 2026 he had played 35 games for Waikato, according to the Waikato Herald.

His Super Rugby debut came against the Blues at Eden Park on 2 March 2018, a 27-21 win for the Chiefs. He soon became known, in the Museum's words, for "his powerful carries, relentless defence, and work ethic", and by the time coach Clayton McMillan made him the full-time captain for 2024, with Sam Cane playing in Japan and Brad Weber in France, he had already led the side "with aplomb on several occasions", McMillan said, and had "always been viewed as a future Chiefs captain". Jacobson called the job one he was "bloody proud to fill".

The All Blacks, and a long wait

Steve Hansen's All Blacks gave him his Test debut in the final quarter of a 20-16 win over Argentina at Velez Sarsfield Stadium, Buenos Aires, on 20 July 2019. He came off the bench again in the 92-7 win over Tonga at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, on 7 September 2019, and was named in the squad for the World Cup in Japan with only around 50 minutes of Test rugby behind him. Delayed concussion symptoms meant he did not play at the tournament, and Shannon Frizell was called in. Injury then kept him out of the 2020 international season.

2021: the return

He returned in 2021 and started at No 8 against Tonga at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, on 3 July 2021, and two minutes in, after Dane Coles picked off a Tongan lineout throw, he went over beside the posts. The All Blacks won 102-0.

He played 10 Tests that year. Against Argentina at Robina Stadium on the Gold Coast on 12 September 2021 he scored twice in a 39-0 win, the first from an audacious Beauden Barrett backhand pass and the second off a powerful scrum. Against the United States at FedEx Field, Washington DC, on 23 October 2021 he scored after 29 seconds, finishing a break by Damian McKenzie, and added a second as the All Blacks won 104-14. He finished the year starting at blindside flanker in a 47-9 win over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, on 6 November 2021.

World Cup 2023

In 2022 he was one of the eight capped players in the first All Blacks XV, captained by Patrick Tuipulotu. A year later he was back in the Test side, and he was part of the 2023 World Cup squad in France that reached the final. He came off the bench in the opening match against France at the Stade de France on 8 September 2023 (13-27), started at blindside in the 71-3 win over Namibia at Stade Municipal, Toulouse, on 15 September 2023, and started at No 8 in the 73-0 win over Uruguay at Groupama Stadium, Lyon, on 5 October 2023.

That season the Chiefs also reached the Super Rugby Pacific final, and Jacobson started at No 8 when they lost 25-20 to the Crusaders at Waikato Stadium, Hamilton, on 24 June 2023.

Captain of the Chiefs

From 2024 the Chiefs were his team to lead, and they kept reaching finals. In the 2024 decider against the Blues at Eden Park on 22 June 2024 they lost 41-10. "A very tough one out here tonight," the captain said. In 2025 they lost the final 16-12 to the Crusaders at Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, on 21 June 2025, in front of 17,000. In June 2025 he re-signed with the Chiefs and New Zealand Rugby until the end of 2027. "I grew up supporting this team," he said then, and he set himself a target: "I'd love to play 100 games for the Chiefs."

He got there on 18 April 2026, against the Hurricanes at FMG Stadium Waikato, becoming the 14th centurion in Chiefs history. Head coach Jono Gibbes called it "a testament to his longevity, his work-ethic, and his professionalism". The Chiefs won 22-17 in extra time when Wallace Sititi scored in the 85th minute, and they went to the top of the table. The Chiefs finished second, beat the Reds 46-24 and the Crusaders 49-12 in their home playoff games at FMG Stadium Waikato, and reached a third straight final under Jacobson, which the Hurricanes won 60-5 at Hnry Stadium, Wellington, on 20 June 2026.

Asked by the Waikato Herald what 100 games had taught him, he said resilience. "Over the last 10 years, there hasn't been a year that I haven't enjoyed."

The All Blacks under Robertson

Jacobson played six Tests in 2024 under new coach Scott Robertson, mostly from the bench, and started at blindside in the 47-5 win over Fiji at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, on 19 July 2024. A fractured thumb kept him off that year's northern tour, and concussion meant he played no Tests in 2025.

2026: Rennie's openside

Under the new All Blacks coach, Dave Rennie, Jacobson started all six Tests he played in 2026 in the No 7 jersey: the wins over France at One NZ Stadium, Christchurch, on 4 July 2026 (34-32), Italy at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on 11 July 2026 (47-17) and Ireland at Eden Park on 18 July 2026 (40-21), and the first three Tests of the series in South Africa.

With Tuipulotu, Codie Taylor and Ardie Savea all missing from the side for the second tour match, Rennie named Jacobson to captain the All Blacks for the first time, in the tour match against the Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban, on 11 August 2026. "He is highly respected, has a great feel for the game," Rennie said. The All Blacks scored eight unanswered tries and won 54-0.

Jacobson scored in the 33-16 first-Test win over South Africa at Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg, on 22 August 2026, and started the 26-33 loss in the second Test at DHL Stadium, Cape Town, on 29 August 2026. In the third Test at FNB Stadium, Johannesburg, on 5 September 2026, Savea left the field nine minutes before half-time with a dislocated shoulder, and Jacobson took over the captaincy. South Africa won 29-24. He had an elbow tendon injury, and he flew home with Savea and Quinn Tupaea rather than going on to the fourth Test in Baltimore. The injury ended his season.

Style and standing

The Museum's profile describes a player "valued for his versatility, leadership, and uncompromising physicality", and his Test numbers bear out the versatility: he has worn No 6, No 7 and No 8 for the All Blacks, as well as 14 appearances in the No 20 jersey off the bench. His Test record is 24 wins and six losses.

The coaches who have picked him talk most about leadership. McMillan said he "leads with integrity humility, and total commitment to the jersey"; Gibbes praised his work ethic and professionalism; Rennie chose him to lead the All Blacks in Durban.

Where he is now

Jacobson is recovering from his elbow injury and is not part of the All Blacks' November 2026 tour. He is named in the Chiefs' squad for 2027 and is contracted to the end of that season. He turns 30 in April 2027, the year of the next World Cup in Australia.

Career at a glance

Test figures are from RUGBE's match-by-match All Blacks data to 17 October 2026. Provincial and Chiefs figures are from the Waikato Herald and Wikipedia.