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ARLINGTON — The Dallas Jackals played their home opener against the San Diego Legion on Sunday. The Jackals, who joined Major League Rugby (MLR) as an expansion team in 2020, play their home games at Choctaw Stadium (Texas Rangers' former home field) in Arlington. Although Dallas was ultimately defeated on Sunday by a final score of 30-23, they displayed resiliency and made things interesting toward the end.
The Jackals are now 1-1 in 2024. They have a bright future, and the same can be said for rugby in the USA. I asked Jackals co-captains Sam Golla and Jero Gomez Vara to give their best pitches to fans who may be on the fence about following the sport.
Jackals captains give their rugby pitches
“I think right now is probably the best time to be apart of rugby in the United States,” Golla said. “Like soccer, there's a World Cup every four years. We're going to have one in 2031 in the United States. We're talking some of the biggest countries in the world who have all their teams coming here… Especially with the professional leagues starting now, it's probably the best time to get involved.
“As far as watching it goes, you know, it's in everyone's backyard right now. Making sure that you're following your teams in the MLR. Getting to those games. Learning about the sport, because it's just going to grow especially in the United States.”
Golla has high expectations for the sport. There is no question that rugby is growing in the USA. Texas is known as a sports-loving state, as the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Wings, Texas Rangers, and Dallas Stars are all extremely popular. That does not even include other notable teams in cities such as San Antonio and Houston. The Jackals have already developed quite an impressive fanbase as well, however.
On Sunday, a number of people showed up to Choctaw Stadium dressed in Jackals gear. People were smiling, laughing, and clearly having a great time. During the game, the fans were passionate and excited. Golla seems to be correct in his prediction that rugby will continue to grow.
Gomez Vara echoed a similar sentiment, and he thinks fans will enjoy the balance of competitive nature and good sportsmanship between teams.
“I think rugby, in the fans' side, they should just see how the relationships are between the teams,” Gomez Vara said. “You are hitting each other on the field, probably having some fights. And then when the whistle comes, it's all handshakes and hugs. I think it's all part of that… That physicality against each other and then just leave it on the field.”
Major League Rugby is growing
The Jackals are doing their part to help popularize rugby in the United States. There are currently 12 teams in the league which can be viewed on the Major League Rugby website. It would not be surprising to see the league implement more teams as the sport gains traction.
One major selling point for rugby is that it combines a number of other sports, something Jackals attacks and backs coach Nate Osborne explained after Sunday's game.
“I believe rugby takes the best of every sport,” Osborne said. “Right? You got basketball where you can move the ball and it's fast and it's non-stop. It's got football, where you got the physicality. It's got soccer where it's that non-stop and it's got hockey where you can understand if there's two people here we're going to move the ball to space. So I believe rugby takes the best of all the sports in America other than baseball.
“If you enjoy any of those sports, you will love rugby. If you enjoy all those sports, rugby is the sport for you.”
Jackals' goals for 2024 season
The Jackals dropped Sunday's game but there is still reason for optimism. Gomez Vara is confident in the team moving forward.
“I think we're a completely new team in terms of age in the league, new players, new culture, we are still building it,” Gomez Vara said. “What you can expect of this team is we never give up. We fight until the 80-plus. That's what we want to show you on the field, that we never give up. We want to win this championship. We will go step by step… That (Jackals' resiliency late in game against the Legion) shows we are capable to fight the big ones.
“We are not just a team that will go onto the field and see what happens. We can compete and we can win these games. It's just a mental aspect that we have to keep improving… This gives us confidence to build it.”
