Niko Jones, the son of legendary All Blacks Sir Michael Jones who last weekend played for Moana Pasifika, has signed a new contract with the Old Glory DC Rugby club in the U.S.

The DC rugby club announced that their newest recruit from New Zealand is Niko Jones who will play for them for the remainder of the 2023 Major League Rugby (MLR) season.

His first match in the Moana Pasifika jersey this year was against the Queensland Reds at Apia Park in Samoa last weekend. Despite a valiant effort against the Australian club, they went down 40-28 with the historic match marking his last in the Super Rugby Pacific competition. In the U.S. competition, he is going to be playing alongside All Blacks 7s star Kurt Baker in Washington D.C.

In an interview with New Zealand's 1 News Sports, Jones said that his rugby journey has been plagued by injuries, resulting in him not making the first team, but nonetheless enabling him to gain valuable experience. 

Injuries were also a major obstacle for the player at the provincial level in Auckland, which saw him make just seven games in two years of playing professional rugby. He will continue his rugby development in the U.S. and will be part of Old Glory DC Rugby Club for the rest of the MLR 2023 season.

The Old Glory DC rugby club won their last match against the reigning MLR Champions New York, which marked a good start to the season with additional talent now on board from New Zealand.

He was initially linked with the MLR in early January last year, only for Moana Pasifika to offer him an opportunity to train with the squad which led to his seven brief appearances.