The New England Free Jacks will have consistency in their coaching staff for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. Scott Mathie will return as Head Coach after winning MLR Coach of the Year honors in 2022, with Mike Rogers continuing as Assistant Coach.
It’s the first time the club will have the same Head Coach for consecutive MLR campaigns. Josh Smith was the team’s first Head Coach beginning in late 2018 but he was moved into a development role after the inaugural 2020 MLR season. Ryan Martin took over in 2021, but then departed to join the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.
Mathie led the team to a record-setting campaign in 2022. New England set new single-season marks for most wins in a regular season with 13, and most consecutive wins with 10 in a row between March and mid-May. They would ultimately fall to New York in the Eastern Conference Final, the club’s first ever postseason game.
Tom Kindley has been elevated from Performance Director to General Manager, while Ewan Brumwell continues as head of Strength and Conditioning. Javier Martin is the Team Manager while Colton Bennett is the Performance Analyst.
Club captain Josh Larsen has also committed to a fourth season in Boston. The Canadian international signed a two-year deal in October of 2021 that runs through the 2023 campaign. He has captained the side in 32 of their 38 MLR games to date, with Joe Johnston assuming the role in the other six.