The newest Major League Rugby expansion team, the Dallas Jackals, are still searching for their first win after a close loss against the San Diego Legion in Week 2 action. The Jackals fell by a final tally of 37-29 after they started strong but could not hold off the high-powered Legion offense.
The team is now 0-2 to start the 2022 season and hopes that recent signings and their upcoming inaugural home game at the former Globe Life Park will finally give the team a breakthrough win.
Despite the loss, Dallas Jackals Number 8 backer Conrado Roura was named the Rhino Try of the Week player. The try came following the third water break when 2021 first-round pick Eric Naposki took a pass on the kick and broke through the Legion lines. Naposki tossed to Aaron Gray, also a 2021 draft pick, who quickly made the exchange to Roura. From there, it was a footrace with no Legion player standing a chance to catch Roura before he dove to the try zone.
Jackals Wing Henry Trinder made his second try of the season in the first period following a lineout restart. Trinder took the ball from the scrum and looped to the undefended left side of the try zone. He got just enough push to cross the line and touch the ball down as Legion players dragged him down.
Adriaan Carelse, the Jackals Fly Half, executed five of eight penalty kick tries to add 15 points and completed one conversion kick to total 17 points. Despite holding the Legion to a close game throughout the contest, it wasn’t enough to secure an upset win.
The Legion scored a total of four try attempts with four different players crossing the line. The Legion scored five tries in Week 1, putting them in second overall in the Western Division behind Austin Grigonis. Dallas played its inaugural game against the Grigonis on February 6, losing with a devastating final score of 43-7.
The next match for the Dallas Jackals will be their first home game of the season after two road games to open. They will face the Houston SaberCats at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on February 19. The SaberCats currently sit at 1-1 after a season-opening victory over the LA Glitinis was followed by a narrow three-point defeat at the hands of Rugby New York.
On February 15, the Dallas Jackals announced that former SaberCat Back Rower Adriaan Booysen has joined the Pack. The team has not announced whether he will be available in time for a shot at playing against his former team. Booysen spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Houston.
The Jackals had initially anticipated joining MLR in 2021 but decided to hold off on the inaugural season due to uncertainty about the impact of coronavirus on the opportunity to play. The team is owned by an investment group headed by Donnie Nelson, who is also the President of the Dallas Mavericks, and Neil Leibman, co-owner of the Texas Rangers.
The Jackals currently sit in last place in the Western Conference, sharing an 0-2 record and 0 points on the season with Eastern Conference teams Old Glory DC and the league’s only Canadian team, the Toronto Arrows. Austin and San Diego are currently tied for the lead in the West at 2-0 and 10 points.