The New England Free Jacks took on the Chicago Hounds in the Eastern Conference Finals at Fort Quincy on Saturday afternoon, the Free Jacks were able to clinch the victory by a score of 21-20, by a difference of one point.

In what may go down as the best match in Major League Rugby history This match was one of, if not the most important match of the season for the two teams. The Free Jacks have been well versed with their competitor, as they have faced off against the Hounds twice this season, with one home and one away match. New England fell short to Chicago in early March, but were able to come out victorious at home in mid May.

Similarly to this season, the Free Jacks faced off against the Hounds in the league semifinals last season. New England was able to win by a score of 23-17 and moved on to the championship game to eventually clinch the MLR (Major League Rugby) title. 

This game was especially important to New England as it was their chance to make history for the team, and simultaneously bring attention to the league. When Free Jacks attend the championship game in one week, they will have a shot at the three-peat, the first team to win three championships, consecutively, in the league. 

This season is similar to last season in terms of the two teams’ record against each other in the regular season, both teams each won a game before facing off against each other in the semis. 

The match concluded with the Hounds missing a penalty kick, the ball went off the post and eventually out of bounds in the 80th minute, leaving the Free Jacks to clinch the win with one point to spare. 

The play of the game however, was in the middle of the first half, when Paula Balekana ran down the length of the pitch, and tackled a Chicago player just before they were able to touch the ball down across the try line. 

Regarding that game shifting play, Balekana talked about the effort that was put into that tackle, and then spoke to the rest of the team’s effort throughout the duration of this extremely important match. 

“I’m very proud of the boys’ performance today,” Balekana said. 

Coach Martin spoke to the intense victory, saying how the team will most likely keep the same coaching tactics heading into the biggest game of the season, as they have clearly worked thus far. 

“The whole year we’ve been aiming for this game to be honest. Everything we’ve done is around the rule of three’s, being chasing the three-peat, so we’re probably going to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” said Martin. 

The New England Free Jacks will be playing the championship match in Pawtucket, RI on June 28th at 2pm, and will either be facing off against Utah or Houston. 

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