By Canadian Press

Canadians help New England Free Jacks retain Major League Rugby championship

Aug 4, 2024 | 4:27 PM

SAN DIEGO — Jayson Potroz’s boot accounted for 15 points Sunday as the New England Free Jacks defeated the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 to win the Major League Rugby championship for the second year in a row.

New England had significant Canadian help in defending its title.

Canadians Andrew Quattrin, Cole Keith, Kyle Baillie, Conor Keys and Piers von Dadelszen started in the New England pack.

Fellow Canadians Foster Dewitt, Josh Larsen, Ethan Fryer (a U.S.-Canadian dual citizen) and Ben LeSage started on the Free Jacks bench.

Other Canadians on the New England roster are Gabe Casey, Isaac Olson and Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti (who was born in Fiji but also qualifies for Canada).

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Baillie, Keith, Quattrin and LeSage all played for the Toronto Arrows, who folded last November following the death of Bill Webb, the club’s president and general partner.

Le Roux Malan scored the lone try for New England, which led 14-8 at the half. Potroz a New Zealand-born fly half who was the league’s player of the year in 2023, kicked five penalties.

Joe Taufete’e scored a try for Seattle, which played a man down for 10 minutes of the second half when Tavite Lopeti was yellow-carded in the 52nd minute for a high tackle on Malan. Mack Mason booted two penalties for the Seawolves.

It was 27 C at kickoff at Snapdragon Stadium.

New England led 8-0 after the first 15 minutes early on a Potroz penalty and an acrobatic Malan try in the corner. Malan, a Namibian international centre, suffered a horrific injury — breaking and dislocating his right ankle — at the Rugby World Cup in September 2023 in a 71-3 loss to the All Blacks.

Mason missed his first penalty attempt from distance but was on target in his second in the 28th minute, and Potroz traded penalty kicks to make it 11-3.

Taufete’e powered his way over in the corner in the 31st minute, taking an offload from a fellow forward following a lineout win, to make it 11-8. Potroz added to the lead with a penalty on the stroke of halftime after Seattle was called for a no-arms tackle.

New England added two penalties and Seattle one in the second half.

Both the Free Jacks and Seawolves have championship pedigrees.

New England edged the San Diego Legion 25-24 in last year’s final in Bridgeview, Ill. Seattle hoisted the trophy in 2018 and ’19, the pro rugby league’s first two seasons, and was runner-up to Rugby New York in 2022.

New England finished atop the Eastern Conference at 11-5-0, while conceding a league-low 344 points. Seattle (11-5-0) was runner-up to the Houston SabreCats (14-2-0) in the West.

New England, which went 14-2-0 last season, beat Old Glory DC 33-29 in the Eastern semifinal and the Chicago Hounds 23-17 in the final.

Seattle downed the San Diego Legion 30-28 in the Western semifinal and the Dallas Jackals 28-25 in the final. The Jackals had ousted Houston 34-22 in their semifinal.

Both New England and Seattle came into the final on a run of form.

The Free Jacks had won six of their last seven, with the lone loss a 27-17 decision at NOLA Gold on June 22. Seattle had won five of its last seven.

Seattle won 29-21 when the teams met April 20 in Quincy, Mass.

Five New England games this season were decided by two points or less with the Free Jacks winning three of those.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024

The Canadian Press