The New England Free Jacks Announce World Class Preliminary Roster for Inaugural 2020 Season in Major League Rugby
The 35-Man prelude squad will report for training in December with additional players to come
BOSTON, Aug. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --
- Free Jacks are excited to welcome a host of international talent while retaining a core group of New England-developed players to compete at the highest level of North American professional rugby.
- 21 USA-eligible players with a combined 20 All-American honors are in the mix.
- 11 total countries are represented, with 7 international test and / or "A" level players.
- 10 players with European, Pro14, or British and Irish Cup caps.
- 9 Players with New Zealand Mitre-10 National Provincial experience.
- Additional players to be added through play in the New England competitive season this fall and following the Rugby World Cup.
The New England Free Jacks today announced the preliminary roster for the inaugural 2020 season in Major League Rugby, combining a mix of premier players from global rugby hotbeds with national level talent developed on the fields of New England's high schools, colleges, and clubs.
"We are excited for the potential of this preliminary group for our Inaugural Season in MLR," said Free Jacks co-Founder and CEO Alex Magleby. "Our coaches have worked long hours to find players from around the globe who have demonstrated they like to work, learn, put the team first, and really want to add and be a part of the New England community."
"It is a talented, well-rounded group who have proven they love to compete. In rugby terms there are Ranfurly shield winners, national collegiate and national club champions, All-Ireland winners, provincial and international U20 champions, High School and Ivy League champions," said Magleby. "Almost two-thirds of this prelim group have university degrees. There are players who competed and excelled in judo, soccer, football, basketball, baseball, even props who ran track. Gaelic footballers. Competitive table tennis. Ultramarathon runners, squash, sailing, wrestling, and lacrosse players. Ice hockey, volleyball. Bowling! Love that. They just love to grind, adapt and compete, and to find a way to win."
A number of players from the 2019 Cara Cup and exhibition season will return to the Free Jacks for the first full season in Major League Rugby, including flyhalf Tadhg Leader, loose forward Owen Hundt, wing Christian Adams, and multiple "Workhorse-of-the-Week" recipient, Jackson Thiebes. Additionally, several well-known Boston-developed players look to feature prominently, including USA Eagle prop Anthony Purpura, fullback Danny Collins, and the everlasting flanker Jon Kokinda.
"We are bringing together this group of incredibly talented and humble players from around the region, the country, and the world to ignite New England with professional rugby," said Free Jacks head coach Josh Smith. "Our goal this offseason was to put together a complete team top to bottom leveraging the resources and quality pool we had locally. It will be very exciting to bring the new guys in to be embraced by the community and create a really dynamic competitive team environment. We can't wait to see what they can do in 2020. We also look forward to assessing more players in the coming days through the MLR transfer process, the ARP / fall club season, and the Rugby World Cup."
Following the finalization of the rest of the roster in the coming weeks, the players will report to preseason on December 2nd, with the 2020 Major League Rugby regular season set to kickoff in February.
Please note two players of the 35 preliminary roster have been embargoed to respect current commitments and will be announced shortly.
The full roster can be found here.
New England Free Jacks
The New England Free Jacks are greater Boston's 1st Professional Rugby team representing all the greatness of the six New England states on and off the field. The Free Jacks were named the 9th member of Major League Rugby on September 20th and will compete in the 2020 MLR regular season.
For more information on the Free Jacks:
Oliver Engelhart
917-890-7545
[email protected]
www.thefreejacks.com
Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby league, launched in April 2018. It is an initiative of the American rugby community, in partnership with private investors, who believe that American rugby can thrive at the highest levels—as a commercial enterprise; as an influential player on the international scene; and as a participation sport at the youth and senior level. MLR is the pinnacle of American rugby, and provides a rallying point for local communities, a focal point for American rugby fans, and an aspirational destination for young athletes.
For more information on Major League Rugby
Hampton Pelton
801.99.8130
[email protected]
https://www.usmlr.com
SOURCE New England Free Jacks
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