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The New England Free Jacks are headed back to the Major League Rugby Final after a dramatic 23-17 win over the Chicago Hounds on Saturday. Both teams enjoyed periods of superiority but it was the swarming defense of the reigning champions that was the point of difference at the final whistle.
Chicago came out firing from the kickoff and blitzed the Free Jacks for nearly 15 minutes but somehow didn’t came away with points. Luke Carty regathered an up-and-under with his offload setting Maclean Jones free, but Jed Melvin arrived in the nick of time to make a try-saving tackle. A wide-open Nate Augspurger slipped on the turf as he attempted to step back across his opposite Paula Balekana, and then Nicolás Revol was adjudged to have been held up after a brief TMO review.
John-Roy Jenkinson limped off as the players caught their breath, and when play restarted Dave Kearney found himself isolated on a counter-attack and conceded a penalty at the breakdown. A subsequent penalty in kicking range was snubbed in favor of the corner, and though the maul was unsuccessful the ball was flung wide to a waiting Balekana, who found Reece MacDonald looping around in support to take the pass in for the first score of the game.
MacDonald delivered one of the best solo efforts of the season soon after. After fielding a long clearance kick 20 meters inside his own half, the fullback turned on the afterburners and weaved past four defenders before beating a fifth for pace to touch down in the corner. The conversion attempt was no good but the home side were 10 points to the good.
A scrum penalty gave Carty a shot at goal from 42 meters but it drifted wide of the uprights. The Hounds would finally get on the board in the last play of the half. Adriaan Carelse fielded a box kick from Oscar Lennon and the Free Jacks were too slow to fill the gaps. Carelse cut through and sped down the right side, finding Augspurger on his left to race clear for the try. This time Carty found his range and the score stood 10-7 at the intermission.
Not long into the second half Nick McCarthy dropped a clearance kick to concede an attacking scrum. The Free Jacks went through the phases until a penalty at the ruck gave Potroz a chance to stretch the lead, and the captain obliged as the partisan crowd voiced their approval.
A TMO intervention resulted in a yellow card to Conor Keys for cynical play while off his feet at a ruck. Carty chipped over the three points on offer, but there was a swift reply from Potroz who maintained New England’s lead after a Chicago breakdown indiscretion.
Fresh legs were summoned by both sides but the Free Jacks scrum was creaky and the Hounds won a penalty. The first kick to the corner was conservative and too far for the drive to find the line, but another New England penalty gave the visitors all they needed. This time Dylan Fawsitt steered the maul until he was over the line, with the kick from Carty giving Chicago their first lead of the match.
There was no sense of panic from the home side. A turnover gave them possession deep inside Chicago territory and after numerous phases Andrew Quattrin punched in from close range to restore New England’s lead. One last attack from the Hounds was snuffed out by a cover tackle from Balekana that forced a knock-on just as it appeared Mark O’Keeffe might be through a gap. The Free Jacks won a scrum penalty and opted for a quick tap to grind out the final seconds on the clock.
It’s off to San Diego next Sunday for New England, to take on the winner Seattle’s home game against Dallas for the right to lift the MLR Shield. The Hounds will be frustrated by the result but can take great pride in their late-season surge and for pushing the defending champions to their limit in only Chicago’s second season as a franchise.
| SCORING |
NEW ENGLAND 23
Tries (3) – R. MacDonald 2 (20′, 23′), A. Quattrin (71′)
Cons (1) – J. Potroz 1/3 (72′)
Pens (2) – J. Potroz 2/2 (45′, 58′)
YC (1) – C. Keys (54′)
CHICAGO 17
Tries (2) – N. Augspurger (40′), D. Fawsitt (65′)
Cons (2) – L. Carty 2/2 (40’+1′, 66′)
Pens (1) – L. Carty 1/2 (54′)
| LINEUPS |
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Malakai Hala-Ngatai (17 Cole Keith 79′), 2 Andrew Quattrin (16 Foster DeWitt 72′), 3 John-Roy Jenkinson (17 Cole Keith 14′ {18 Kaleb Geiger 64′}), 4 Kyle Baillie (19 Josh Larsen 64′), 5 Conor Keys, 6 Piers von Dadelszen (20 Ethan Fryer 64′), 7 Jed Melvin, 8 Seta Baker, 9 Oscar Lennon (21 Holden Yungert 54′), 10 Jayson Potroz (capt.), 11 Paula Balekana, 12 Le Roux Malan (22 Ben LeSage 54′), 13 Wayne van der Bank, 14 Toby Fricker (23 Mitch Wilson 54′), 15 Reece MacDonald
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 Nicolás Revol (17 Fred Apulu 72′), 2 Dylan Fawsitt (16 Janus Venter 74′), 3 Paddy Ryan (18 Charlie Abel 45′), 4 George Merrick (19 Brad Tucker 58′), 5 James Scott, 6 Mason Flesch, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Conall Boomer (20 Lucas Rumball 45′), 9 Nick McCarthy (21 Jason Higgins 60′), 10 Luke Carty, 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Billy Meakes (capt.), 13 Bryce Campbell (22 Mark O’Keeffe 62′), 14 Dave Kearney (23 Noah Brown 62′), 15 Adriaan Carelse
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, July 27
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Kickoff: 13:00 local
Weather: sunny, 82°F (28°C), wind E 7-11mph (11-18km/h)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistants: Luke Rogan (USA) & Jarrod Ford (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
