New England Free Jacks Complete Three-Peat in Pawtucket

The New England Free Jacks won their third-straight Major League Rugby Shield, defeating the Houston SaberCats 28-22 in front of a crowd of 5,702 at Centreville Bank Stadium in the 2025 MLR Championship Game.

The Free Jacks used impactful performances by winger Brock Webster, winger Paula Balekana and flyhalf Dan Hollinshead, as well as a slight edge in the kicking game to retain the shield for another year. Webster earned Man of the Match honors after making a number of plays on both sides on the ball.

New England Head Coach Ryan Martin noted the heavy presence of Free Jacks fans in attendance less than 40 miles from the team’s home stadium in Quincy, Ma.

“The special part is the proximity to the championship for our fans,” Martin said. “The amount of red, white and blue in the stands and the energy they created for us, they get to share in this and it’s really special.”

New England found the scoreboard first, using a penalty kick goal by Hollinshead from the middle of the field to take an early lead. Houston flyhalf AJ Alatimu evened the scoreline three minutes later, converting a penalty kick goal of his own. Balekana dotted down the match’s first try in the 14th minute, capitalizing on a long carry and slick pass by Webster.

Shortly after another penalty kick goal by Hollinshead, Houston’sMax Schumacher crossed the whitewash, grounding the ball after a series of phases and bringing the SaberCats within three points. A pair of defensive stops at the try line by Houston kept the score at 13-10 at the half.

Six minutes into the second half, New England lock Sam Caird scored a try on an advantage, extending the lead to 20-10 after the resulting conversion kick by Hollinshead. The SaberCats soon struck back as winger Drake Davis took a pass from inside the 22-meter line and into the try zone, bringing the Western Conference Champions within a score in the 52nd minute.

Hollinshead converted his third penalty kick goal in the 59th minute, and 11 minutes later, Balekana dotted down his 15th try of the season – the most of any player in the league – to push the lead to 11 points. Nine minutes later, Schumacher scored his second try of the match, bringing the score to 28-22 after a missed conversion kick. The Free Jacks sent the ball out of touch after a brief back-and-forth between both teams to end the game.

Schumacher (HOU) led all players with 91 carry meters made, and he and Wian Conradie (NE) each recorded a game-high 14 tackles. Schumacher led both teams with eight defenders beaten and four clean breaks, while Conradie led all players with 16 tackles.

Houston ends the season with a 12-0-7 record, earning the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference before claiming the team’s first Western Conference crown last week. The Free Jacks end the season with a 14-0-5 record, winning its league-leading third MLR Shield.