Jackals Lose Heartbreaker. Earn Two Points

In a wild finish to a back-and-forth match, Old Glory DC scored a try in the 80^th minute to slip past the Jackals, 36-34, Friday night at Choctaw Stadium.

The Jackals seemingly had the game won in the 79^th minute when Juan-Dee Oliver converted a penalty kick to put them ahead 34-31. They only needed to field the ensuing kickoff and run out the clock.

But the Jackals muffed the kickoff in their end of the field and Old Glory recovered. Seconds later, Old Glory had a choice to make. They could take a penalty kick and leave with a tie. Or they could go for the win. They went for it and got it with the try off a rolling maul.

The match had playoff implications for both teams. The Jackals (6-8) gained an extra point by scoring four tries Friday and are still on the brink of advancing to the Major League Rugby playoffs for the first time.

They are 10 points ahead of Utah, their closest challenger for the final berth in the MLR West and can clinch a playoff berth when they travel to Utah next Saturday.

There were 11 lead changes in Friday’s game with neither team ever leading by more than seven points.

The Jackals had most of their success off mauls. Tomas Beckerman scored their first try in the 7^th minute after Old Glory opened the scoring with a try in the 2^nd minute. Oliver added two tries and Jeronimo Gomez Vara one.

Old Glory, the league’s least penalized team, had problems with penalties and yellow cards all night. The Jackals drew a yellow card late in the match but didn’t allow any Old Glory scoring while outmanned.

Team captain Sam Golla entered the game in the 59^th minute, his first action since injuring an ankle on April 12 and missing 6 matches.

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The Dallas Jackals are a professional rugby team that plays at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Jackals are members of Major League Rugby. The team has played in Dallas/Fort Worth since 2022. Stay connected with the latest updates by following the Dallas Jackals on social media and visiting the official team website.