New England Free Jacks general manager Tom Kindley joins Phil Perry on Arbella Early Edition to preview the upcoming rugby season as the team looks to win its third straight championship.
The Free Jacks took on their Eastern Conference rivals, Old Glory DC, at the Maryland Sportsplex on Saturday, but a late rally came up short as New England fell 28-14.
Coming off their home opener and championship banner raising last week that ended with an impressive walk off win against NOLA Gold, the Free Jacks looked to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
The Major League Rugby (MLR) Round 6 matchup found the Free Jacks in third place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points just behind Old Glory DC at 12 points. The early season match was important for both teams and proved hard fought hard until the end.
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Early first half play featured back and forth between the clubs until Old Glory broke through with a Steff Hughes try at the 11-minute mark. Jason Robertson made the conversion, putting the first seven points on the board for DC.
At 20 minutes, New England’s Andrew Quattrin responded, scoring a try off a designed tap penalty play inside Old Glory’s five-meter mark. John Poland made the conversion, evening the score at 7-7.
Old Glory was intent on putting immense pressure on the two-time defending MLR champs throughout the match. Following the Quattrin try, Old Glory scored 21 straight points before New England’s Faletol Peni added a try at the 70-minute mark. The Free Jacks pushed hard for another late second half try but ran out of time with the final score set at 28-14.
After six rounds of MLR play, the Free Jacks sit at 2-0-3. On Saturday, the Free Jacks will take on the Utah Warriors at 9 p.m. at Zions Bank Stadium in their fifth road match of the season. The match will be available on ESPN+.
