With a swift and nearly impenetrable defense, the Chicago Hounds dominated the New England Free Jacks on Sunday, March 2nd with a score of 36-7. The Free Jacks were back-to-back Major League Rugby champions in 2023 and 2024 and defeated the Hounds in the Eastern Conference Final in 2024, and it’s clear that the Hounds were looking for a revenge win.
The weather was around 34°F with a slight breeze and clear skies. You might’ve thought the Hounds would be cold, but they wasted no time in bringing the heat with their action-packed gameplay. Not even three minutes after the match started, the Hounds took a 3-0 lead through a penalty given to the Free Jacks. The Hounds continued to push through the Free Jacks’ defense throughout the rest of the first half, breaking at 15-0.
The Hounds kept up the pressure in the final 40 minutes as they asserted complete dominance. They successfully crossed the try line not once, but twice, pushing their score to 36 and securing a buy-one-get-one deal for a BBQ brisket sandwich for all attendees from the Patio by surpassing 30 points! The Free Jacks finally managed to break through the Hounds’ rock-solid defense near the end of the match to gain seven points, but the Hounds’ lead was insurmountable.
This is only the beginning of the 2025 Major League Rugby season, and the Hounds have already established themselves as a powerful force with both offensive and defensive pressure. While they did lose to the Utah Warrior at their Home Opener, the Hounds’ wins over the Houston SaberCats, the New England Free Jacks, and the Miami Sharks place them firmly in 3rd place in the league with their strong 3-1 record.
