New England Free Jacks
Founded2018
LocationQuincy, Massachusetts
Ground(s)Veterans Memorial Stadium (Capacity: 5,000)
CEOAlex Magleby
Coach(es)Scott Mathie
Captain(s)TBA
League(s)Major League Rugby
2023Champions
1st (Eastern Conference)
Team kit
Official website
www.freejacks.com

The New England Free Jacks are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in the Greater Boston area. They were announced in September 2018 and began to compete professionally in October 2018.[1] They competed in their first season in MLR in the 2020 season. On July 8, 2023, they became the MLR Champions for the 2023 season, after defeating San Diego Legion in a closely fought match.

History

On September 21, 2018, Major League Rugby announced that Boston would be one of the expansion teams joining the league for the 2020 season.[2] That same day, the Boston club was announced as the New England Free Jacks through social media. Their first match was on October 20, 2018, against the Ontario Arrows at Wanderers Grounds in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Early rosters from these matches included a mixture of veteran professional players from the disbanded PRO Rugby competition and top local talent from clubs such as the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and Mystic River.

NFL players Nate Ebner and Patrick Chung are minority owners of the Free Jacks.[3][4]

Sponsorship

Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Other Shirt sponsor(s)
2018 Canterbury None None
2018–2019 Boathouse
2020–2021 Paladin Sports
2022 Alloy Therapeutics
2023 Tufts Medical Center

Roster

The New England Free Jacks squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[5]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Mason Koch Hooker United States United States
Andrew Quattrin Hooker Canada Canada
Sean Ralph Hooker South Africa South Africa
Kyle Ciquera Prop United States United States
Foster DeWitt Prop Canada Canada
Kaleb Geiger Prop United States United States
Malakai Hala-Ngatai Prop New Zealand New Zealand
John-Roy Jenkinson Prop South Africa South Africa
Cole Keith Prop Canada Canada
Tevita Sole Prop Tonga Tonga
Kyle Baillie Lock Canada Canada
Conor Keys Lock Canada Canada
Josh Larsen Lock Canada Canada
Jackson Thiebes Lock United States United States
Seta Baker Back row New Zealand New Zealand
Jaco Bezuidenhout Back row South Africa South Africa
Wian Conradie Back row Namibia Namibia
Cam Davidowicz Back row United States United States
Ethan Fryer Back row Canada Canada
Mitch Jacobson Back row New Zealand New Zealand
Martín Sigren Back row Chile Chile
Piers von Dadelszen Back row Canada Canada
Player Position Union
Will Chevalier Scrum-half United States United States
Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti* Scrum-half Fiji Fiji
John Poland Scrum-half Ireland Ireland
Holden Yungert Scrum-half United States United States
Reece MacDonald Fly-half New Zealand New Zealand
Jayson Potroz Fly-half New Zealand New Zealand
Gabe Casey Centre Canada Canada
Junior Gafa* Centre Samoa Samoa
Ben LeSage Centre Canada Canada
Le Roux Malan Centre Namibia Namibia
Wayne van der Bank Centre South Africa South Africa
Paula Balekana Wing Fiji Fiji
Zach Bastres Wing United States United States
Killan Coghlan Wing United States United States
Isaac Olson Wing Canada Canada
Mitch Wilson Wing United States United States
Danyon Morgan-Puterangi Fullback New Zealand New Zealand
  • Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
  • * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
  • MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Head coaches

  • United States Josh Smith (2018–2020)
  • New Zealand Ryan Martin (2020–2021)
  • South Africa Scott Mathie (2021-present)[6]

Captains

Leadership

Staff for 2022 Major League Rugby Season:[7]

Staff PositionName
Head CoachScott Mathie
Assistant CoachMike Rogers
Performance DirectorTom Kindley

Owners[8]

PositionName
Co-Founder, Owner and CEOAlex Magleby
Co-Founder, Owner and ChairmanErrik Anderson
Owner and Board MemberDavid Barry
Owner and Board MemberJonathan Bobbett
OwnerPatrick Chung
OwnerNate Ebner

Records

Season standings

Season Conference Regular season Postseason
Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Pld W L F A +/− Result
2020[lower-alpha 1] Eastern 9th5104139158-1959------Cancelled
2021 Eastern 6th161006360332+28848------Did not qualify
2022 Eastern 1st161303454328+1268621011624-8Lost Conference Final (Rugby New York) 16–24
2023 Eastern 1st161402556273+28312682205031+19Won Conference Final (Old Glory DC) 25-7
Won Major League Rugby final San Diego Legion 25-24
Totals533801515091091+418331873216655+112 postseason appearances

Notes

  1. ↑ 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coaches

Coach Nationality Start End Games Win Loss Draw Win %
Josh SmithUnited States United StatesOctober 19, 2018July 28, 2020514020.0
Ryan MartinNew Zealand New ZealandJuly 28, 2020July 18, 202116106062.5
Scott MathieSouth Africa South AfricaSeptember 9, 2021present16133081.2

2019 season

All games in the 2019 season were exhibition games and did not count in the league standings; the team played to a record of 1–7, losing their first seven games and winning their final match of the season.

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
October 20, 2018Ontario ArrowsAwayWanderers GroundsLost, 14–40
December 1, 2018Rugby United New YorkHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexLost, 35–38
February 9, 2019Utah WarriorsAwayZions Bank Training CenterLost, 15–70
March 16, 2019Connacht A[9]HomeUnion Point Sports ComplexLost, 7–38
March 24, 2019Ulster A[9]HomeUnion Point Sports ComplexLost, 15–43
April 6, 2019Munster A[9]HomeIrish Cultural Centre GAA FieldLost, 19–38
April 14, 2019Leinster A[9]HomeHarvard Mignone FieldLost, 12–55
May 18, 2019Toronto ArrowsHomeBrophy Field at Dartmouth's
Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse		Postponed
June 1, 2019Lansdowne F.C.HomeIrish Cultural Centre GAA FieldWon, 46–29

2020 season

On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] Seven days later, MLR announced that the season was officially cancelled.[11] The Free Jacks finished the short season 9th in the MLR, 6th in the Eastern Conference.[12]

Exhibition

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
January 18New England IndependentsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 39–7
January 18New England IndependentsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 84–21

Regular season

The team accrued a 1–4 record before the season was halted.

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 8Rugby United New YorkHomeLas Vegas BallparkWon, 34–14
February 15Utah WarriorsAwaySam Boyd StadiumLost, 33–39
February 23San Diego LegionAwayTorero StadiumLost, 21–30
February 29Seattle SeawolvesAwayStarfire SportsLost, 29–44
March 7NOLA GoldAwayThe Gold MineLost, 22–31
March 14Houston SaberCatsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled
March 22Rugby ATLAwayLife University Running Eagles StadiumCancelled
April 5Colorado RaptorsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled
April 10Toronto ArrowsAwayTBDCancelled
April 18Old Glory DCHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled
April 25NOLA GoldHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled
May 1Rugby United New YorkAwayMCU ParkCancelled
May 9Austin GilgronisHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled
May 16Toronto ArrowsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled
May 24Old Glory DCAwayCardinal StadiumCancelled
May 30Rugby ATLHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexCancelled

2021 season

The Free Jacks' first game of the 2021 season was played on March 20, facing LA Giltinis in Los Angeles.[13]

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
March 20LA GiltinisAwayLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumLost, 27–42
March 27Houston SaberCatsAwayAveva StadiumWon, 32-0
April 3Utah WarriorsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 22-21
April 17NOLA GoldAwayShrine on AirlineLost, 30-29
April 25Old Glory DCAwaySegra FieldLost, 29-35
May 1San Diego LegionAwayLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumWon, 33-17
May 8Austin GilgronisHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 22-18
May 15Rugby ATLAwayLife UniversityLost, 18-33
May 23Rugby United New YorkAwayCochrane StadiumLost, 19-29
May 29Toronto ArrowsHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 14-12
June 6Old Glory DCHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 38-34
June 13Seattle SeawolvesHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 25-21
June 27NOLA GoldHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexLost, 9-17
July 3Rugby United New YorkHomeUnion Point Sports ComplexWon, 22-6
July 11Toronto ArrowsAwayLife UniversityWon, 28-17
July 18Rugby ATLHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 22-19

Source:[14]

2022 season

Regular season

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 5New Orleans GoldAwayGold Mine on AirlineWon, 24-13
February 18Old Glory DCAwaySegra FieldWon, 41-25
February 27LA GiltinisAwayLos Angeles Memorial ColiseumLost, 15-19
March 6Rugby New YorkAwayJohn F. Kennedy StadiumWon, 38-29
March 12Toronto ArrowsHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 21-15
March 19Austin GilgronisAwayBold StadiumWon, 25-17
March 26Rugby ATLAwaySilverbacks ParkWon, 41-27
April 2New Orleans GoldHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 33-29
April 9Seattle SeawolvesHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 24-22
April 24Rugby New YorkAwayJohn F. Kennedy StadiumWon, 29-26
April 30Utah WarriorsHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 33-17
May 7Old Glory DCHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 26-20
May 13Rugby ATLHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 15-10
May 19Toronto ArrowsAwayYork Lions StadiumLost, 18-33
May 29New Orleans GoldHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumWon, 57-5
June 3Rugby New YorkHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumLost, 14-21

Source:[15]

Post season

RoundDateOpponentHome/AwayResult
East Conference FinalsJune 19Rugby New YorkHomeLost, 16–24

2023 season

Preseason

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 8Houston SaberCatsAwaySaberCats StadiumL, 21-34

Regular season

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResult
February 17New Orleans GoldAwayThe Gold MineW, 36-12
February 26San Diego LegionAwaySnapdragon StadiumL, 12-29
March 11Old Glory DCHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 34-31
March 19Rugby New YorkAwayMount Vernon Memorial StadiumW, 33-18
March 25Dallas JackalsHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 10-9
March 31Utah WarriorsAwayZions Bank StadiumL, 24-26
April 8Chicago HoundsHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 31-19
April 15Toronto ArrowsAwayYork Lions StadiumW, 80-5
April 22Rugby ATLHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 23-13
April 30Rugby New YorkHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 8-0
May 14Old Glory DCAwaySegra FieldW, 42-12
May 21New Orleans GoldHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 50-3
May 27Toronto ArrowsHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 57-20
June 2Rugby ATLAwaySilverbacks ParkW, 35-14
June 11Seattle SeawolvesAwayStarfire StadiumW, 34-26
June 18Houston SaberCatsHomeVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 47-24

Post Season

RoundDateOpponentLocationResult
East Conference FinalsJuly 1, 2023Old Glory DCVeterans Memorial StadiumW, 25-7
MLR Grand Final July 8, 2023 San Diego Legion SeatGeek Stadium W, 25-24

Entertainment

Mascot

On May 7, 2021, the Free Jacks announced a mascot, Woodgy, a furry blue creature with rugby headband tape who wears Free Jacks rugby kit.[16]

Academy

New England Independents

On January 8, 2020, the Free Jacks announced that they would compete in two preseason matches against the New England Independents, a brand new select team of local All-Star talent representing eight clubs throughout New England.[17] Adam Zilcoski, of the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, was selected as the head coach.

Roster

Squad for 2020 Major League Rugby Preseason:[18][19]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Blades Shields Hooker United States United States
David McKenna Prop United States United States
Kyle Ciquera Prop United States United States
Sean Moran Prop United States United States
Timmy O’Connor Lock United States United States
Cody Davidowicz Lock United States United States
Ryan Hargraves Flanker United States United States
Paul Taylor Flanker United States United States
Cam Davidowicz Number 8 United States United States
Player Position Union
Ian Luciano Scrum-half Australia Australia
Andrew Menton Fly-half United States United States
Adnan Kawuma Centre United States United States
Jared Collinson Centre United States United States
Brad Patterson Wing United States United States
Andrew Marshall Wing United States United States
David Buchanan Fullback United States United States

Regional academies

Club Region
the AlarmBoston
ChampsChamplain
CobblersNorth Shore
Granite HammersSouthern New Hampshire
LightfootsWestern MA
MutineersRhode Island
Night WatchUpper CT
PathfindersCentral MA
Pine RiotersSouthern Vermont & New Hampshire
River RangersUpper Valley
the Sea SerpentsMaine Seacoast
Silver SharksSouth Shore
Whistle PunksNew England North

[20]

Junior Jacks

The Junior Jacks are the youth academy level for the Free Jacks.

References

  1. ↑ "New England Free Jacks Roster Announced". The Runner Sports. 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  2. ↑ "Major League Rugby confirms Boston and Atlanta for 2020 - Americas Rugby News". Americasrugbynews.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  3. ↑ "Patriots Patrick Chung, Nate Ebner embracing roles as Major League Rugby minority owners".
  4. ↑ "New England Free Jacks Expand Ownership, Introduce Nate Ebner & Patrick Chung - The Runner Sports".
  5. ↑ "New England Free Jacks". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Free Jacks Appoint Scott Mathie Head Coach and Mike Rogers Senior Assistant". Major League Rugby. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  7. ↑ "Staff". New England Free Jacks. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Leadership". New England Free Jacks. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Free Jacks To Host Irish Provincial 'A' Sides". Thisisamericanrugby.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  10. ↑ Anonymous, "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS," www.majorleague.rugby, March 12, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020
  11. ↑ "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Standings". Major League Rugby. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  13. ↑ Banks, Doug (March 20, 2021). "Professional rugby team New England Free Jacks to debut in Massachusetts". masslive.com. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  14. ↑ "2021 Scheduled". freejacks.com. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ "2022 Scheduled". freejacks.com. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  16. ↑ "𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙜𝙮 – 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚍 | New England Free Jacks". Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  17. ↑ "The New England Free Jacks, Boston's First Professional Rugby Team, Announce Two Free Preseason Matches In The Month Of January At Union Point Sports Complex | New England Free Jacks". Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  18. ↑ “1-18-2020 New England Independents Squad”
  19. ↑ "1-24-2020 New England Independents Squad”
  20. ↑ "FREE JACKS LAUNCH NEW ENGLAND-WIDE ACADEMY". freejacks.com. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
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