No luck involved when it comes to the Irish scrum-half, Poland looks to hit his target this MLR season

Boston, MA — October 26, 2021 — As we near closer to the start of the 2022 season, the Free Jacks look forward to welcoming back exceptional scrum-half, John Poland. Coming in at 5’7, 170lbs, Poland’s precise passing abilities and quality kicks have allowed him to excel in such a physically competitive league. The Irishman looks to carry his skillful performances into this upcoming MLR season.

The Free Jacks took advantage of Poland’s high level skill set in 2021. With the 11th most kicks in the league, Poland booted the ball 77 times last season with a total of 1,802 kicking meters. The starting scrum-half moved the ball down the field on his feet as well, making 8 line breaks and shaking 12 tackles throughout the season, finishing in the try zone 4 times.

“It’s great to have ‘The Little General’, JP, back for his third year in New England,” quotes Free Jacks Performance Director, Tom Kindley. “JP quickly showed how threatening he is during the abbreviated 2020 season where he scored 4 tries, and carried for 184 meters across 5 games. 

“Generally renowned as one of the top 9’s in the league, JP has an outstanding ability to manage matches with a top quality kicking game while being able to flip a match on its head at a moment’s notice through his game-noise and speed. JP had a strong 2021 season, starting all 16 games and as importantly, was able to impart knowledge to fellow New England 9’s, Sean Yacoubian, Oliver Engelhart and Tom Brusati, during his tenure in New England.”

A native of Cork, Ireland, Poland began his rugby career at the age of 5 with his local club, Sundays Well RFC. In 2015 John began playing for Cork Constitution in Ireland’s Division Club Championship where he won the 2016-2017 All Ireland Division 1A Championship, All-Ireland Under-20’s League, and back-to-back championships in the Munster Senior Cup. Poland entered University College Cork in 2017 where he won the 2017-2018 All Ireland Division 1B Championship.

A fan favorite in New England due to his ability to create plays in impressive fashion, Poland will look to bring the same impactful rugby prowess to Veterans Memorial Stadium come next spring. 

About The Free Jacks:  The Free Jacks are an aspiring and innovative live events, media, and consumer products organization. The core brand in the portfolio is The New England Free Jacks, the humble hard-working free-spirited professional rugby team competing in the emergent and exhilarating Major League Rugby (MLR), the premier North American professional rugby competition. For more information please visit www.FreeJacks.com