- Source: New England Free Jacks
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. 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.
Sponsorship
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.
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
=Josh Smith (2018–2020)
Ryan Martin (2020–2021)
Scott Mathie (2021–2024)
Ryan Martin (2024–present)
= Captains
=Josh Larsen (2020–present)
Leadership
Staff for 2022 Major League Rugby Season:
Owners
Records
= Season standings
=Notes
= Head coaches
=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.
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
== Regular season
=The team accrued a 1–4 record before the season was halted.
2021 season
The Free Jacks' first game of the 2021 season was played on March 20, facing LA Giltinis in Los Angeles.
Source:
2022 season
= Regular season
=Source:
= Post season
=2023 season
= Preseason
== Regular season
== Post Season
=2024 season
= Preseason
== Regular season
== Post Season
=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.
= Regional academies
== Junior Jacks
=The Junior Jacks are the youth academy level for the Free Jacks.
References
External links
Official website
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- New England Free Jacks
- 2024 Major League Rugby season
- List of 2023–24 Major League Rugby transfers
- 2023 Major League Rugby season
- Old Glory DC
- Major League Rugby
- Toby Fricker
- 2024 Major League Rugby final
- Martín Sigren
- 2023 Major League Rugby final
