The 2025 Major League Rugby season comes to a close on Saturday when the Free Jacks attempt the first three-peat in league history against the SaberCats. New England haven’t been beaten in a postseason game since 2022, a run of seven consecutive wins including back-to-back titles. This is the first crack at the MLR Shield for Houston, one of MLR’s founding franchises who had fallen short in the playoffs three times previously before finally claiming the Western Conference crown last week.
| REGULAR SEASON RANKING |
11-5-0 Eastern Conference 1st
10-6-0 Western Conference 2nd
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| none | none |
|
IN | OUT |
| none | none |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(11) – Quattrin, von Dadelszen, LeSage, Webster, DeWitt, Larsen, Fryer (Canada), Koroiduadua (Fiji), Conradie, Malan (Namibia), Geiger (USA)
(5) – Lindenmuth, Alatimu (Samoa), Davis (USA), McLean (Scotland), Rebolo (Brazil)
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Jerónimo Gómez Vara (FL/N8), Jayson Potroz (FH), Jack Reeves (CE/WI)
– Sam Tuifua (N8), Davy Coetzer (FH), Drew Wild (FB)
| PREDICTION |
Damp and slightly breezy but warm conditions are on the forecast, which shouldn’t bother either team much on the brand new turf at Centreville Bank Stadium. Both sides have retained identical match day squads from last week with Ben LeSage and Drake Davis both making rapid recoveries from lower leg injuries. Houston are coming off a pair of hugely physical matches and there’s no reason to believe they’ll be any less confrontational on Saturday. The Free Jacks prefer a more free-flowing style and will want to avoid the set piece. They were decisive winners over the Cats in May and have yet to be toppled by the Texans. Playing at a venue just an hour away from their home turf, it could be a short drive for the Shield on Saturday. New England are favorites in Rhode Island.
| LINEUPS |
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Malakai Hala-Ngatai, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Jone Koroiduadua, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Sam Caird, 6 Jed Melvin, 7 Joe Johnston (capt.), 8 Wian Conradie, 9 Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, 10 Dan Hollinshead, 11 Paula Balekana, 12 Le Roux Malan, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Simon-Peter Toleafoa, 15 Brock Webster
Replacements: 16 Foster DeWitt, 17 Kyle Ciquera, 18 Kaleb Geiger, 19 Josh Larsen, 20 Ethan Fryer, 21 Oscar Lennon, 22 Wayne van der Bank, 23 Harrison Boyle
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 2 Pita Anae-Ah Sue, 3 Pono Davis, 4 Justin Basson, 5 Nathan Den Hoedt (capt.), 6 Emmanuel Albert, 7 Johan Momsen, 8 Marno Redelinghuys, 9 André Warner, 10 AJ Alatimu, 11 Drake Davis, 12 Sam Hill, 13 Tautalatasi Tasi, 14 Rufus McLean, 15 Max Schumacher
Replacements: 16 Seth Smith, 17 Wilton Rebolo, 18 Michael Scott, 19 Javon Camp, 20 Keni Nasoqeqe, 21 Louritz van der Schyff, 22 Jay Renton, 23 Dom Akina
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, June 28
Venue: Centreville Bank Stadium, Pawtucket
Kickoff: 14:00 local (11:00 Pacific, 12:00 Mountain, 13:00 Central)
Weather Forecast: cloudy with showers, 73°F (23°C), wind S 12-18mph (19-29km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN2, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada) & Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (4) – New England 4, Houston 0
2025-05-04 – New England Free Jacks 36, Houston SaberCats 17 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2024-04-13 – Houston SaberCats 35, New England Free Jacks 47 (SaberCats Stadium)
2023-06-18 – New England Free Jacks 47, Houston SaberCats 24 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2021-03-27 – Houston SaberCats 0, New England Free Jacks 32 (SaberCats Stadium)
The post MLR 2025: Championship Final – New England Free Jacks vs Houston SaberCats – ARN Guide appeared first on Americas Rugby News.
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