After completing his studies at Cambridge and returning to the United States, Brakeley began playing club rugby for the New York Athletic Club in 2013.[6] He was a starter for the NYAC team that defeated the Austin Blacks 44-39 in the 2015 USA Rugby Men's Division I Club National Championship at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.[7]
Rugby New York
Brakeley joined Rugby United New York (RUNY) for their inaugural season as an associate member of Major League Rugby in 2018.[8] Brakeley started at lock in each of RUNY's three exhibitions against the Ontario Arrows and Boston Mystics in March 2018.[9][10][11] Brakeley maintained a full-time job as a data analyst while playing professionally in Major League Rugby.[12]
On June 19, 2022, Brakeley became the twenty-fifth MLR player to appear in 50 matches.[13] Brakeley captained New York to the franchise's first MLR championship in the 2022 final, a 30-15 victory against the Seattle Seawolves at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey on June 25, 2022.[14]
Brakeley made his debut with the USA Eagles on February 13, 2016, starting at flanker in the Eagles' 30–22 victory over Canada in the 2016 Americas Rugby Championship.[16][17] Brakeley scored his first try for the Eagles in the Eagles' 52–16 victory over Canada on July 1, 2017, in a qualification match for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.[18]
During the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Brakeley juggled Test matches and training sessions with the Eagles with a full-time remote job for a real estate technology company in New York.[19]
In his final test match, Brakeley captained the Eagles to victory in a 42-12 win over Spain in the final of La Vila International Rugby Cup.[20]