Luke Jacobson: Seeing Black

It’s every kiwi kid’s dream to put on the black jersey and line up for the haka, even more so to be able to do it at a World Cup.

This distant dream became a reality for Luke Jacobson, 22, who was selected in this year’s All Black squad to head to Japan but was later ruled out due to a delayed onset of concussion.

Luke is one of three brothers that all play in the loose forward position and grew up in Cambridge, a small town southeast of Hamilton. Jacobson’s been touted as a revelation for the Chiefs and has established himself as a long-term All Black prospect after having been on the national radar for several years.

Jacobson played for the Cambridge High School First XV with brother Mitch, later playing with his oldest brother Kane for North Harbour, both his brothers creating their own  mark in New Zealand rugby.

You would think that having all three brothers playing in the back row would cause problems, but the trio’s versatility meant  each brother could play anywhere across the back row if required which reduced arguments over positions. “The fighting was more off the field when we all lived together at home with mum and dad, it had nothing to do with rugby,” Luke jests.

Growing up there are many idols Luke looked at as inspiration but none more so than former All Black and Chiefs player Liam Messam. “The presence he brings onto the field and in his attacking game he’s pretty razzle-dazzle so he can break a defensive line.” When asked why he was drawn to Messam, Luke said, “He’s top-notch, the things he does off the field, how selfless he is and how much time he’s got for everyone. I look up to him big time”

Luke’s driven attitude and leadership qualities were essential elements that helped him stand out during his two seasons in the Cambridge High School First XV. His consistent high standards led to a New Zealand Schools team call up in 2014 where he played alongside fellow All Black Rieko Ioane.

In 2016 he captained Waikato in the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under-19s Tournament, where he scored the sole try of the final and was named Player of the Tournament, launching him into the New Zealand Under 20 team. Dominant performances saw him awarded the captaincy of the 2017 New Zealand Under 20 side the following year in Georgia which he guided the team to victory in the final.

Luke made his Super Rugby debut for the Chiefs in March 2018 through an unexpected last-minute injury call up against the Blues. “I was the twenty-fourth man so I wasn’t really expecting to play but one of our backs went down and I was like I had better switch on here I’m in with a shot.” Jacobson went on and played 13 matches in his rookie season and followed up with 8 more games this season.

His outstanding form in 2019 as both a punishing defender and robust back-rower caught the attention of the All Blacks coaching staff and Luke Jacobson was named on the bench to face Argentina in Buenos Aires. Jacobson was sat at home in Cambridge watching TV with his mates when he first learned of his All Blacks call-up. Incredibly the 22-year-old is Waikato’s first born-and-bred player to earn their first All Blacks call-up in more than a decade.

He had obviously impressed All Blacks coach Steve Hansen who gave him a glowing wrap.

Based on performances alone it wasn’t surprising that Hansen followed through and included Luke in the Rugby World Cup squad. However, his year-long battle with concussion symptoms and a recent flair up after the warm-up game against Tonga would cut his World Cup dream incredibly short.

Jacobson has battled through three different concussions over the last 12 months, the first being in 2018 where he went down in a heavy tackle against the Hurricanes. “I’d never been concussed before so I didn’t really think too much of it even though it was a hefty whack. I sort of thought I’d be back in a couple of weeks or the following weekend, but it dragged on.”

He returned to rugby in March having spent eight months on the sideline and missing all of Waikato’s Mitre 10 Cup campaign. Luke said that he had headaches for “four or five months” over that period. His second head knock ruled him out of the Chiefs’ last five games leaving the All Blacks warm-up game against Tonga as his last preparation for the World Cup.

He had not presented any signs of a concussion after the Tonga game but developed symptoms after the first training session. Both Luke and the coaching staff were quick to come to the conclusion that he couldn’t participate in the World Cup.

Luke was understandably gutted, “It’s been the pinnacle of what I’ve been striving for, for a long time so it was an upsetting night,” Jacobson said.

Having three concussions in such a short period of time is concerning for any player and it begs the question, are concussion rates increasing or are the safety measures in place allowing medical staff to pick out and act on players’ issues more effectively?

This infographic shares some key stat comparisons between the concussion rates in the Rugby World Cup 2019 compared to Rugby World Cup 2015.

This information shows there has been a reduced rate of concussions between both World Cups as safety measures such as the high tackle sanctions have been put in place. Luke, although disappointed, stressed the fact. “There can be effects later down the track and that’s something I don’t want so we took the right precautionary steps and the decision was made with my health and best interests at heart.”

Looking ahead Luke Jacobson hopes to avoid another head knock and instead turn his focus on the upcoming Super Rugby season, “I just want to keep locking down a starting spot at the Chiefs and hopefully keep going out there and performing.”