QUINCY, MA -- The New England Free Jacks, back home in Quincy after a three-week break, showed their resilience in the first round of MLR (Major League Rugby) playoffs. Having faced off against Old Glory DC two other times this season, with both teams winning by a single point, the Free Jacks broke that trend by winning 33-29. The win sets the Free Jacks up to host the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday at home.
Starting off strong, three minutes into the match, Paula Balekana ran down the left sideline and off-loaded it to Reece MacDonald, who scored a beautiful try. Jayson Potroz made the conversion, putting them in the lead 7-0. Old Glory responded with a try from Connor Buckley and a conversion from Jason Robertson, tying the score 7-7.
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At the 10-minute mark, Potroz made a 45-meter penalty kick to give his team their second lead of the match, 10-7. A few moments later, Old Glory's Buckley answered with his second try of the match. Robertson made the conversion, putting DC in the lead 10-14.
At the 15-minute mark, Potroz nearly scored a try but was stopped at the goal line. The Free Jacks opted for a penalty kick, which Potroz successfully converted, narrowing the gap to 13-14. Moments later, Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz scored a try for DC, followed by a successful conversion and 21-13 lead.
At the 30-minute mark, the Free Jacks demonstrated their teamwork with powerful runs and ball control. Jed Melvin's try, with a successful conversion by Potroz, brought the score to 20-21. As halftime neared, New England earned another penalty kick and Potroz was successful from 48 meters putting the home side up 23-21.
Moments later, Wayne van der Bank ran up the field and made a pass to Oscar Lennon, who scored a try in his first-ever playoff appearance. The Free Jacks scored 17 straight points to close out the half. Notably, the Free Jacks had a 100 percent success rate on lineouts, a significant improvement from their previous performances and a key factor in their success in the semifinal.
“We have a highly connected group of players so we know that if we keep it tight we are just going to fight that much harder in the opposition. I think that does a lot for our team, and we have a bunch of new players we had to step up, and it took time for them to get familiar with one another, but we are seeing that,” said Tom Kindley, Free Jacks general manager.
Coming out of the half, Buckley made his third try of the match for Old Glory, but the critical conversion by Robertson failed. With the score 30-26, another penalty kick was awarded to the Free Jacks, and Potroz converted, making the score 33-26.
At the 66 minute mark, the visitors were awarded a penalty for a late hit on Robertson by Potroz. After recovering from the hit, Robertson’s penalty kick was good making the final score 33-29 and leaving the crowd of 4,000 ecstatic, rowdy and ready for another Eastern Conference Final at home.
“It is a new year, new season, new group, new experience for all of us and it is awesome to see the growth in our squad,” said Captain Jayson Potroz.
The Free Jacks will play against NOLA Gold or the Chicago Hounds on Saturday in Quincy for the Eastern Conference Final at 1:00 p.m. ET.
