It’s must-win territory for the Free Jacks when they host the Legion on Saturday afternoon. After a dismal first half of the campaign for the defending champions, New England need a result or they risk missing out on the postseason entirely. California meanwhile arrive rested after a bye week and confident after their one-sided victory in San Diego earlier in the campaign.
| IN | OUT | |
| 1 | Nate Sylvia | Tevita Sole |
| 7 | Joe Johnston | Alex Mackenzie |
| 14 | Max Lehmann | Nathan Salmon |
| 15 | Harrison Boyle | Killian Coghlan |
 |
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Declan Leaney | Fred Apulu |
| 3 | Tonga Kofe | Michael Scott |
| 14 | Corbin Smith | Joe Mano |
- Injured / unavailable – (Free Jacks) Alex Mackenzie, Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, Ben LeSage; (Legion) Cyrille Cama, Oscar Treacy
- Ben LeSage is serving the last week of his three-game suspension
- Free Jacks captain Joe Johnston returns after missing the last three weeks with injury… Tayne Hemopo adds extra forward power to a bench that shows a 6/2 split this week
- it’s the first appearance on the wing for Max Lehmann since the season opener… Nathan Salmon drops out of the lineup for the first time in 2026
- five reinforcements were added to the Free Jacks roster during the week but none will take the field on Saturday… Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz is in France for at least another week
- Ronan Murphy returns for the Legion after sitting out two games with suspension
- Declan Leaney gets his first start of the season for California as Ma’aku Muti falls out of the 23 entirely… Corbin Smith is on the wing with no place for Joe Mano this week
- Cyrille Cama made the move from New England back to California this week… the hooker or flanker did not make an appearance with the Free Jacks
Rain will put a damper on festivities around the pitch but it could be good news for New England. The Legion will have been training in sunshine, and certainly prefer to play expansive rugby. Their tight five will be tested though the addition of Murphy adds some firepower to the bench. It’s certain to be a closer encounter than a month ago but can the Free Jacks turn things around entirely? California are slight favorites on the road at Quincy.
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Nate Sylvia, 2 Sione Tupou, 3 Filipe Vakasiuola, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Reuben Palmer, 6 Bailey Wilson, 7 Joe Johnston (capt.), 8 Jacob Norris, 9 Oscar Lennon, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Mitch Wilson, 12 Kienan Higgins, 13 Wayne van der Bank (capt.), 14 Max Lehmann, 15 Harrison Boyle
Replacements: 16 Kaleb Geiger, 17 Kyle Ciquera, 18 Maliu Niuafe, 19 Ollie Aylmer, 20 Braemar Murray, 21 Ethan McVeigh, 22 Line Latu, 23 Tayne Hemopo
CALIFORNIA LEGION
1 Declan Leaney, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 3 Tonga Kofe, 4 Keni Nasoqeqe, 5 Jason Damm (capt.), 6 Lance Williams, 7 Ed Timpson, 8 Ben Houston, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Coby Miln, 11 Ryan James, 12 Billy Meakes, 13 Cassh Maluia, 14 Corbin Smith, 15 Rory van Vugt
Replacements: 16 Ale Lopeti, 17 Fred Apulu, 18 Justus Tavai, 19 Ronan Murphy, 20 Chase Jones, 21 Cole Semu, 22 Tas Smith, 23 Steffan Crimp
Date: Saturday, May 9
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Kickoff: 16:00 local (13:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: rain, 59°F (15°C), wind S 10-16 mph (16-26 km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports (International), NBC Sports Boston (Local)
Referee: Mike Lawrenson (USA)
Assistants: Peter Pender (Canada) & Amelia Luciano (USA)
TMO: n/a
HEAD-TO-HEAD (1) – Legion 1, Free Jacks 0
2025-04-04 – California Legion 43, New England Free Jacks 5 (Torero Stadium)