Top Two Teams In The East Face Off In New England

New England Free Jacks vs Chicago Hounds

When: Sunday, May 5, 2024, 12:00pm EST

Where: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy, MA

Watch: Fox Sports 2 (FS2) and The Rugby Network (outside the USA)

Match Preview: 

The Free Jacks are back at home for the fifth time this year after a successful trip to Los Angeles, where the team came away with a bonus point 34-12 win. Now they’ll look for another win at home against the Chicago Hounds. New England stands firm 1st in the Eastern Conference with a 6-2 record, 6 points ahead of 2nd place Chicago.

Entering Round 10, the Free Jacks will look to keep relying on the great depth of their squad like they did vs LA, with standouts Jayson Potroz and Andrew Quatrin leading the backs and forwards respectively. The team saw huge contributions this past weekend by two new signings starting to hit their top form in Danyon Morgan-Puterangi and Seta Baker.

The last time these two clubs met back in Round 4 in Chicago resulted in a hard-fought battle that ended in a 22-17 win for the Free Jacks.

Scouting

Fresh off a bye week, the Chicago Hounds are back on the road after a resounding 54-31 win at home in Round 8 vs RFCLA, where USA Eagle Nate Augspurger scored a hat-trick of tries.

The Hounds currently sit 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a record of 4-3-1, and a total of 23 points (2 above NOLA). They are currently on a three game win streak after victories against RFCLA, Anthem, and NOLA.

Chicago’s playstyle is characterized by their strong set-piece, led by MLR veteran hooker Dylan Fawsitt, and their skilled backline filled with experienced MLR players, such as Nate Augspurger, Billy Meakes, and Bryce Campbell. 

Look for the Hounds to center their gameplan around their maul and lineout up front, and through strong carries up the middle from their hard-charging centers.

All time against Chicago

2-0