# New England Free Jacks

The New England Free Jacks are an American professional rugby union team based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Rugby (MLR). They were announced in September 2018 and began to compete professionally in October 2018. They competed in their first season in MLR in the 2020 season. The team has won two MLR shields after defeating the San Diego Legion in 2023 and the Seattle Seawolves in 2024.

## 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. 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.

## Honors

Championships
* MLR Championship
** Champions: 2023, 2024
** Appearances: 2023, 2024
* MLR Eastern Conference Championship
** Champions: 2023, 2024
** Appearances: 2022, 2023, 2024
individual awards
MLR Most Valuable Player
* 2022 season: Beaudein Waaka
* 2023 season: Jayson Potroz
* 2024 season: Wayne van der Bank
MLR Forward of the year
* 2023 season: Wian Conradie
MLR Back of the year
* 2024 season: Reece McDonald
MLR Coach of the year
* 2022, 2024 seasons: Scott Mathie x2
MLR Championship game MVP
* 2023 season: Jayson Potroz
* 2024 season: Jed Melvin

## Sponsorship

| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Other Shirt sponsor(s) |
| 2018 | Canterbury | None | None |
| 2018–2019 | Boathouse | None | None |
| 2020–2021 | Paladin Sports | None | None |
| 2022 | Paladin Sports | Alloy Therapeutics | None |
| 2023 | Paladin Sports | Alloy Therapeutics | Tufts Medical Center, DUDE Wipes, Arbella Insurance, Drayton Distributors |
| 2024 | Kappa | Alloy Therapeutics | Tufts Medical Center, DUDE Wipes, Arbella Insurance, Drayton Distributors |
| 2025 | Macron | Alloy Therapeutics, Koa Labs | DUDE Wipes, Arbella Insurance, Drayton Distributors |

## Roster

The New England Free Jacks squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
| Player | Position | Union |
| Foster DeWitt | Hooker | Canada |
| Connal McInerney | Hooker | Australia |
| Andrew Quattrin | Hooker | Canada |
| Kyle Ciquera | Prop | United States |
| Kaleb Geiger | Prop | United States |
| Malakai Hala-Ngatai | Prop | New Zealand |
| Cole Keith | Prop | Canada |
| Jone Koroiduadua | Prop | Fiji |
| Ivan Pula | Prop | United States |
| Tevita Sole | Prop | Tonga |
| Kyle Steeves | Prop | Canada |
| Kyle Baillie | Lock | Canada |
| Conor Keys | Lock | Canada |
| Josh Larsen (c) | Lock | Canada |
| Jackson Thiebes | Lock | United States |
| Piers von Dadelszen | Lock | Canada |
| Matthew Carrion | Back row | United States |
| Wian Conradie | Back row | Namibia |
| Cam Davidowicz | Back row | United States |
| Ethan Fryer | Back row | Canada |
| Jerónimo Gómez Vara | Back row | Argentina |
| Joe Johnson* | Back row | New Zealand |
| Kaipono Kayoshi | Back row | United States |
| Jed Melvin | Back row | New Zealand |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Oscar Lennon | Scrum-half | United States |
| Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti* | Scrum-half | Fiji |
| John Poland | Scrum-half | Ireland |
| Harrison Boyle | Fly-half | New Zealand |
| Jayson Potroz | Fly-half | New Zealand |
| Simon-Peter Toleafo | Fly-half | Samoa |
| Ben LeSage | Centre | Canada |
| Le Roux Malan | Centre | Namibia |
| Faletoi Peni | Centre | Samoa |
| Jack Reeves* | Centre | England |
| Wayne van der Bank | Centre | South Africa |
| Paula Balekana | Wing | Fiji |
| Isaac Olson | Wing | Canada |
| Josiah Morra | Wing | Canada |
| Killan Coghlan | Fullback | United States |
| Brock Webster | Fullback | Canada |
* 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 tenures

* Josh Smith (2018–2020)
* Ryan Martin (2020–2021)
* Scott Mathie (2021–2024)
* Ryan Martin (2024–present)

### Captains

* Josh Larsen (2020–2024)
* Joe Johnston 20 (2024-present)

## Leadership

Staff for 2025 Major League Rugby Season:
| Staff Position | Name |
| Head Coach | Ryan Martin |
| Assistant Coach | Dewald Senegal |
| Assistant Coach | Pom Simona |
| General Manager | Tom Kindley |
Owners
| Position | Name |
| Co-Founder, Owner and CEO | Alex Magleby |
| Co-Founder, Owner and Chairman | Errik Anderson |
| Owner and Board Member | Angad Banga |
| Owner and Board Member | David Barry |
| Owner and Board Member | Jonathan Bobbett |
| Owner | Patrick Chung |
| Owner | Nate Ebner |

## Records
### Season standings

| Season | Conference | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason | Postseason |
| Season | Conference | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result |
| 2020 | Eastern | 9th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 139 | 158 | -19 | 5 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled |
| 2021 | Eastern | 6th | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 360 | 332 | +28 | 8 | 48 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify |
| 2022 | Eastern | 1st | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 454 | 328 | +126 | 8 | 62 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 24 | -8 | Lost Conference Final (Rugby New York) 16–24 |
| 2023 | Eastern | 1st | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 556 | 273 | +283 | 12 | 68 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50 | 31 | +19 | Won Conference Final (Old Glory DC) 25-7 Won Major League Rugby final San Diego Legion 25-24 |
| 2024 | Eastern | 1st | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 463 | 344 | +88 | -- | 55 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 28 | +15 | Won Conference Final (Chicago Hounds)23-17 Won Major League Rugby final Seattle Seawolves 20-11 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | 69 | 49 | 0 | 20 | 1972 | 1435 | +537 | 33 | 242 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 109 | 83 | +26 | 3 postseason appearances |

#### Notes

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

## Head coaches

| Coach | Tenure | Years | Record | Pct. | Playoff rec | Conference champions | MLR Championships |
| Josh Smith | 2018-2020 | 2 | 1-4 | (.200) | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Martin | 2020-2021 | 1 | 10-6 | (.625) | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Mathie | 2021-2024 | 3 | 38-10 | (.786) | 5-1 | 2 | 2 |
| Ryan Martin | 2024-present | 1 | 1-1 | (.500) | 0-0 | 0 | 0 |

## 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.
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| October 20, 2018 | Ontario Arrows | Away | Wanderers Grounds | Lost, 14–40 |
| December 1, 2018 | Rugby United New York | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Lost, 35–38 |
| February 9, 2019 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Training Center | Lost, 15–70 |
| March 16, 2019 | Connacht A | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Lost, 7–38 |
| March 24, 2019 | Ulster A | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Lost, 15–43 |
| April 6, 2019 | Munster A | Home | Irish Cultural Centre GAA Field | Lost, 19–38 |
| April 14, 2019 | Leinster A | Home | Harvard Mignone Field | Lost, 12–55 |
| May 18, 2019 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Brophy Field at Dartmouth's Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse | Postponed |
| June 1, 2019 | Lansdowne F.C. | Home | Irish Cultural Centre GAA Field | Won, 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. Seven days later, MLR announced that the season was officially cancelled. The Free Jacks finished the short season 9th in the MLR, 6th in the Eastern Conference.

### Exhibition

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| January 18 | New England Independents | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 39–7 |
| January 18 | New England Independents | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 84–21 |

### Regular season

The team accrued a 1–4 record before the season was halted.
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 8 | Rugby United New York | Home | Sam Boyd Stadium | Won, 34–14 |
| February 15 | Utah Warriors | Away | Sam Boyd Stadium | Lost, 33–39 |
| February 23 | San Diego Legion | Away | Torero Stadium | Lost, 21–30 |
| February 29 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports | Lost, 29–44 |
| March 7 | NOLA Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | Lost, 22–31 |
| March 14 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
| March 22 | Rugby ATL | Away | Life University Running Eagles Stadium | Cancelled |
| April 5 | Colorado Raptors | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
| April 10 | Toronto Arrows | Away | TBD | Cancelled |
| April 18 | Old Glory DC | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
| April 25 | NOLA Gold | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
| May 1 | Rugby United New York | Away | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| May 9 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
| May 16 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |
| May 24 | Old Glory DC | Away | Cardinal Stadium | Cancelled |
| May 30 | Rugby ATL | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Cancelled |

## 2021 season

The Free Jacks' first game of the 2021 season was played on March 20, facing LA Giltinis in Los Angeles.
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| March 20 | LA Giltinis | Away | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Lost, 27–42 |
| March 27 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Aveva Stadium | Won, 32-0 |
| April 3 | Utah Warriors | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 22-21 |
| April 17 | NOLA Gold | Away | Shrine on Airline | Lost, 30-29 |
| April 25 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Lost, 29-35 |
| May 1 | San Diego Legion | Away | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Won, 33-17 |
| May 8 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 22-18 |
| May 15 | Rugby ATL | Away | Life University | Lost, 18-33 |
| May 23 | Rugby United New York | Away | Cochrane Stadium | Lost, 19-29 |
| May 29 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 14-12 |
| June 6 | Old Glory DC | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 38-34 |
| June 13 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 25-21 |
| June 27 | NOLA Gold | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Lost, 9-17 |
| July 3 | Rugby United New York | Home | Union Point Sports Complex | Won, 22-6 |
| July 11 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Life University | Won, 28-17 |
| July 18 | Rugby ATL | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 22-19 |
Source:

## 2022 season
### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 5 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Gold Mine on Airline | Won, 24-13 |
| February 18 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Won, 41-25 |
| February 27 | LA Giltinis | Away | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Lost, 15-19 |
| March 6 | Rugby New York | Away | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Won, 38-29 |
| March 12 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 21-15 |
| March 19 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Bold Stadium | Won, 25-17 |
| March 26 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | Won, 41-27 |
| April 2 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 33-29 |
| April 9 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 24-22 |
| April 24 | Rugby New York | Away | John F. Kennedy Stadium | Won, 29-26 |
| April 30 | Utah Warriors | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 33-17 |
| May 7 | Old Glory DC | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 26-20 |
| May 13 | Rugby ATL | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 15-10 |
| May 19 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 18-33 |
| May 29 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 57-5 |
| June 3 | Rugby New York | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 14-21 |
Source:

### Post season

| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Venue | Result |
| East Conference Finals | June 19 | Rugby New York | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 16–24 |

## 2023 season
### Preseason

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 8 | Houston SaberCats | Away | SaberCats Stadium | L, 21-34 |

### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| February 17 | New Orleans Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | W, 36-12 |
| February 26 | San Diego Legion | Away | Snapdragon Stadium | L, 12-29 |
| March 11 | Old Glory DC | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 34-31 |
| March 19 | Rugby New York | Away | Memorial Field | W, 33-18 |
| March 25 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 10-9 |
| March 31 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | L, 24-26 |
| April 8 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 31-19 |
| April 15 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | W, 80-5 |
| April 22 | Rugby ATL | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 23-13 |
| April 30 | Rugby New York | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 8-0 |
| May 14 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | W, 42-12 |
| May 21 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 50-3 |
| May 27 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 57-20 |
| June 2 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | W, 35-14 |
| June 11 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Stadium | W, 34-26 |
| June 18 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 47-24 |

### Post Season

| Round | Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| East Conference Finals | July 1, 2023 | Old Glory DC | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 25-7 |
| MLR Grand Final | July 8, 2023 | San Diego Legion | SeatGeek Stadium | W, 25-24 |

## 2024 season
### Preseason

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| January 22 | Dallas Jackals | Neutral | SaberCats Stadium | L, 22-24 |

### Regular season

| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
| March 3 | Anthem RC | Away | American Legion Memorial Stadium | W, 46-13 |
| March 9 | Old Glory DC | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | L, 34-35 |
| March 16 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 27-21 |
| March 24 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | W, 22-17 |
| April 6 | Miami Sharks | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 25-3 |
| April 13 | Houston SaberCats | Away | SaberCats Stadium | W, 47-35 |
| April 20 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | L, 21-29 |
| April 28 | RFC Los Angeles | Away | Dignity Health Sports Park | W, 34-12 |
| May 5 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | L, 20-26 |
| May 19 | San Diego Legion | Away | Snapdragon Stadium | W, 24-23 |
| May 25 | Miami Sharks | Away | Chase Stadium | L, 15-13 |
| June 2 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 26-24 |
| June 8 | Old Glory DC | Away | Maryland SoccerPlex | W, 31-30 |
| June 16 | Utah Warriors | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 36-27 |
| June 22 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Gold Mine on Airline | L, 17-27 |
| June 29 | Anthem RC | Home | Veterans Memorial Stadium | W, 40-7 |

### Post Season

| Round | Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
| East Conference Semifinals | July 20, 2024 | Old Glory DC | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 33-29 |
| East Conference Final | July 27, 2024 | Chicago Hounds | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Won, 23-17 |
| Championship | August 4, 2024 | Seattle Seawolves | Snapdragon Stadium | Won, 20-11 |

## 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.

## 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. Adam Zilcoski, of the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, was selected as the head coach.

#### Roster

Squad for 2020 Major League Rugby Preseason:
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 |
| David McKenna | Prop | United States |
| Kyle Ciquera | Prop | United States |
| Sean Moran | Prop | United States |
| Timmy O’Connor | Lock | United States |
| Cody Davidowicz | Lock | United States |
| Ryan Hargraves | Flanker | United States |
| Paul Taylor | Flanker | United States |
| Cam Davidowicz | Number 8 | United States |
| Player | Position | Union |
| Ian Luciano | Scrum-half | Australia |
| Andrew Menton | Fly-half | United States |
| Adnan Kawuma | Centre | United States |
| Jared Collinson | Centre | United States |
| Brad Patterson | Wing | United States |
| Andrew Marshall | Wing | United States |
| David Buchanan | Fullback | United States |

### Regional academies

| Club | Region |
| the Alarm | Boston |
| Champs | Champlain |
| Cobblers | North Shore |
| Granite Hammers | Southern New Hampshire |
| Lightfoots | Western MA |
| Mutineers | Rhode Island |
| Night Watch | Upper CT |
| Pathfinders | Central MA |
| Pine Rioters | Southern Vermont & New Hampshire |
| River Rangers | Upper Valley |
| the Sea Serpents | Maine Seacoast |
| Silver Sharks | South Shore |
| Whistle Punks | New England North |

### Junior Jacks

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