The Dallas Jackals suffered the most humiliating loss of the season on May 7, losing to the Seattle Seawolves with a final score of 74-7. It is the largest points differential in any match this season for any team and extends the overall differential for the Jackals to a minus-425 in their inaugural season.
No other team in Major League Rugby is close to the massive scoring difference the Jackals are experiencing.
The loss also marks the sixth game this season the Jackals have failed to score at least 10 points. Only Houston has had multiple games below 10 points this season with two games.
Six other teams have also lost matches while failing to exceed 10 points, each notching one game. On a positive note, the only team to be shut out in a match this season was not the Dallas Jackals, but Rugby New York.
To put the Jackals’ struggle into perspective, the Utah Warriors are the next-worst team in the Western Conference and have a points differential of minus-2. In the Eastern Conference, Old Glory DC is the last place team, having won only two games, and they currently sit with a minus-127. Dallas is the only team to have not won a game in 2022.
The Seawolves’ victory over Dallas was a record-setting performance. It marks the most points ever scored in MLR competition, the most tries awarded to a single team in a game at 11, and the largest margin of victory in MLR history. The match was lopsided from the start and was well out of hand less than 20 minutes into play for Dallas, who has struggled to score through much of the season.
The Jackals’ only try came at the 8-minute mark when Adriaan Booysen grabbed a loose ball and completed a pass to Carlo De Nysschen, who made the try. Chris Pennell successfully kicked the extra point attempt, giving the Jackals a short-lived one-point lead. Seattle had scored a try only one minute in but failed to make the kick.
From there, the Jackals were essentially eliminated from play, and Seattle scored at will. Seven players scored tries, with four players scoring twice. The Seawolves completed eight extra kicks and a penalty kick to secure the record-setting final score.
The closest the Jackals would come to scoring again would be past the 75-minute mark as the game was nearing its end. Pennell completed a toss to Asa Carter, who had a chance but made a poor passing attempt. The Seawolves collected the ball and returned for the team’s 11th and final try of the day.
The 0-13 Jackals travel next to face the Toronto Arrows, who are 6-6 and five games behind the New England Free Jacks, who lead the Eastern Conference. The Jackals will then return to Choctaw Field for the season’s final two games before having an opportunity to regroup after a disappointing opening season.
