April 24, 2025
MLR has announced that the 2025 MLR Championship game will he played in Rhode Island at the new Centreville Bank Stadium on June 28 at 2PM.
The 10500 capacity soccer specific stadium strikes me as a phenomenal choice. The capacity would be slightly smaller than the crowd that saw the Free Jacks take the 2024 title game, but having a fully packed smaller stadium will provide a better atmosphere and would be a fantastic advertisement for the game.
Having the Free Jacks in the championship game would be fantastic for the region and the game atmosphere.
Unfortunately it’s not a grass surface but the other benefits will outweigh this. The Boston Banshees of the WER will be among the first teams to test out the surface on May 4th.
A pre-sale of tickets is only showing availability on a few end sections. I would guess more sections would be added later, but no guarantees on that.
April 23, 2025
The Boston area pro teams are on a roll lately. The Banshees are out to a 3-0 record, as they transition their home games to Providence RI at the new Centerville Bank Stadium (site of the just announced venue for the MLR Championship game).
The first Banshees game there should be the Sunday May 4th game against Denver Onyx, scheduled for 4PM.
On the men’s side, the Free Jacks displayed squad depth in taking care of business against the visiting RFC Los Angeles. LA showed some nice moves in the first half to score a couple of tries. Interestingly the Free Jacks turned down a few easy three pointer attempts in the first half and came away with nothing.
In the second half, the Free Jacks relentlessly pressured the LA system. With practically the entire half being played in the LA zone, the home team gradually added twenty points without reply to put the game away.
As time was expiring and the Free Jacks leading 23-14, LA forced a penalty in a kickable position. Three points would have been enough to salvage a bonus losing point, but LA turned that down and after some very hard rugby scored a try. The successful conversion ensured a final score of 24-21. Maybe it was worth it, but I would have kicked the pen and headed for the exits.
Next up for the New England Free Jacks will be a home game against the Houston Sabercats on Sunday May 4th .
****************************
April 3, 2025
The Boston Banshees improved to 2-0 with a comprehensive win over the visiting TC Gemini team last weekend, cruising to a 36-10 win that was not as close as the score may suggest.
Over a thousand fans were on hand for the historic occasion at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Quincy, braving the 35 degree weather for the event.
The Banshees were quick to put points on the board and secured the bonus point in the first half. With the game comfortably in hand the second half was a more even contest and the Gemini notched a couple of well worked tries to put a more respectable look on the scoreboard.
Banshees’ coach Kitt Wagner-Ruiz was “very happy” afterwards commenting “the things we worked on in training this week they really put together. We didn’t get to play in our structure last week, and this week we put all the pieces together, we played wide, we played fast, just like we wanted to”.
Second row Jenn Kronish, who was very visible throughout the game, was rewarded with a crowd pleasing try when following up a teammate’s long break in the first hald. She said she was “really excited for the future and really grateful for our awesome fans!”.
Those fans will get another opportunity to catch some action at home on April 19th at 2PM, also in Quincy. Before that, the Banshees travel to Chicago this weekend to take on the Chicago Tempest, a team searching for its first win of the early season.
*********************
March 28, 2025
This weekend promises to be interesting for us. The most intriguing game n the schedule is the Boston Banshees home debut in the fledgling Women’s Elite Rugby. After taking a win on the road in New York last week, the Banshees play host to TC Gemini at the Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy, with a 7PM kickoff time listed for Saturday night.
Tickets can apparently be purchased at the link below.
https://www.womenseliterugby.us/banshees-gemini-mar-29
But I imagine if you showed up without a pre-purchased ticket they would be be happy to accept your cash. It will be interesting to see how many fans will be on hand to witness some history in the making as the trailblazers in women’s rugby take to the field.
March 26, 2025
Well, so much for our friends from the Netherlands coming to play in July. Belgium has replaced the Netherlands as the opponent to face the Eagles on July 5th in Charlotte, NC.
The graphics on the USA have not been updated yet. According to Americasrugbynews, the change was made because Belgium can still qualify for the next Men’s World Cup, while the Netherlands can not.
March 21, 2025
It is a huge weekend for the Women’s Elite Rugby league, as two games kick off this weekend in its inaugural season.
First up is the Boston Banshees travelling to New York to take on the Exiles in Mt. Vernon, NY at 3PM on Saturday. The game should be available free on DAZN.
The Banshees have been making a mark with local media. Check out the articles on Boston.com and also one from the incomparable Martin Pengelly of The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/21/womens-elite-rugby-boston-banshees-new-york-exiles
March 18, 2025
NOLA must be pretty disappointed with their trips to Boston. A year after blowing a two try lead to the Free Jacks, losing 27-21, NOLA did it again, losing to a late late New England score with the clock in the red to lose 35-31.
The result bumps the Free Jacks up to the top half of the standings, with a chance to improve further when the team takes on Old Glory this weekend.
March 7, 2025
After struggling to put points on the board against the Chicago Hounds, the New England Free Jacks have an opportunity to get back on track this weekend.
The Free Jacks find themselves against a difficult opponent in the Seattle Seawolves. The Seawolves have lost both their games on the road in the tough Western Conference, and they will be eager to get back on track before their home fans this weekend.
Lots of personnel changes for the Free Jacks, with Jayson Potroz being the only back to retain his starting position among wholesale changes across the squad.
10PM Saturday night is the kickoff from the Seattle area. Live on ESPN+ with the local TV broadcast apparently at 5PM Sunday evening on NBC Sports Boston.
Feb 19, 2025
The women’s rugby scene added another layer of professionalism with the launch of Women’s Elite Rugby. The Boston entrant will be knows as the Banshees.
The roster has been released, and as you might expect, there is a large contingent of Beantown players named.
March 29th will be the Banshees first home game, to be held in the familiar environs of the Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Quincy.
https://www.womenseliterugby.us/boston-banshees
***********
Feb 19, 2025 The Free Jacks provided an entertaining start to the season, coming out of LA with a 24-17 win. Both teams seemed to be in mid-season form, with lots of running rugby and very little kicking. Speaking of kicking, did you see the end of Old Glory’s game with Miami? With the clock in the red, and with possession, all Miami had to do was kick the ball dead, but they were unable to do so. Unreal. At least Miami will have a chance to redeem itself this weekend with a tussle against NOLA, while the Free Jacks will wait another week before they travel to Chicago to take on the Hounds.
********
Feb 14, 2025. MLR season kicks off this weekend. More on the questionable (IMO) decision to move games to ESPN+ later, but we will see how the early weeks go. Cuddle up for Valentine’s weekend and watch the rugby action.
Apologies for the very long delay in updates. Hopefully in 2025 we will get back on track.
**********************
________________________________________________________________ OLDER ARTICLES HAVE BEEN MOVED TO THE MEN”S RUGBY TAB