New England’s Sam Fischli On The ‘Hissing’ Free Jacks As Regular Season Closes

Written by Joe Harvey | Photos by Lisa Li Studios

As the New England Free Jacks head into the final game of the regular season, the team is safe knowing they will be hosting the Eastern Conference Final in two weeks.

The Houston SaberCats will be visiting Veterans Memorial Stadium this weekend. The Western Conference team secured a place in the Eliminator Round thanks to a victory over Old Glory DC last Friday night and a Utah Warriors’ loss to the Chicago Hounds to ensure the SaberCats had a place in the Championship Series.

Houston needs a positive result this weekend. A victory over a New England team would give them confidence ahead of a visit to the Seattle Seawolves just seven days later.

But while that is on the surface, the Free Jacks will be hoping to fly into their bye week without defeat dogging them as their next opponents are decided in the Eastern Conference Eliminator on July 1.

Thanks to his performance in New England’s 26-34 victory over Seattle last Sunday, Sam Fischli was named in the RTIC First XV of Week 17.

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Hard-hitting center Wayne van der Bank was the other Free Jack to be named. The men from Quincy, Massachusetts, were hugely impressive against a Seawolves side that will host Houston on Sunday at 1:30 PM ET on FS1.

Taking part in his first season with the Free Jacks under Scott Mathie, Fischli has not been a regular name on the team sheet.

Arriving from New Zealand, the 25-year-old has made ten appearances for the Major League Rugby Shield hopefuls, seven of which were starts.

Experiencing defeat on just two occasions, the Kiwi has enjoyed the challenge of breaking into the First XV, while playing for a team that is hoping to crown itself as the best in North America this July at the MLR Championship Final.

“I’m loving my time over here,” Fischli told MLR. “We have got quite a competitive environment going on at the moment, with so many players doing well.

“It puts such a competitive edge into it, which is good. It’s good not having a spot that is in cement, which I have to fight for. It is a good environment to be in.

“There are boys that have been cemented (in the starting side), and when they are playing well, they are still getting the look in, and it is hard.

“You just have to put your best foot forward in training, that is pretty much all you can do until you get your shot, and when you get your shot, it is taking the opportunity.”

In the lead-up to his arrival to MLR, Fischli’s career had largely seen him marry his rugby with full-time work.

A regular for Otago in the Bunnings NPC for the past three years, the 25-year-old would work as a builder during the long offseason while playing club rugby to keep himself fully fit.

Having had flirtations with Super Rugby’s Highlanders this season, the back-row forward decided it was time to give a full 12 months of professional rugby a crack.

Rugby was not always the dream. Born to Swiss parents, Fischli started out playing soccer and aspired to be a butcher before giving New Zealand’s national sport a go.

Soon the physicality and full-blooded nature of rugby took hold, the youngster’s ambition from then onward being to become an All Black.

Taking part in his first season overseas, Fischli has already seen differences from what he is used to back home.

In New Zealand, players are more likely to step their way out of trouble, while in MLR, the instinct is to run the opposition over, making the need for solid defense more critical.

New England’s defense has been a core part of what the team has done well all season, although it is in attack where the Free Jacks thrive.

At times, the Free Jacks have continued their 2022 form into this season with such vigor and pomp have looked unstoppable on their way to the try line.

The sides have been in form from game one against the NOLA Gold in Louisiana. Losing just two matches all season, the Free Jacks are in a prime position to surpass last season’s achievements.

Losing to the New York Ironworkers in the Eastern Conference Final a year ago, there is certainly motivation for New England, Fischli for one, believing that his team is positively moving toward their ultimate goal.

“You can just tell there is a bit of edge,” he said. “We want to win this. The boys are saying it is different from last year, that we weren’t winning games convincingly, but now we are, which is good leading up to this home game this weekend.

“Then, we get that bye week, where we hopefully can do a job on these Houston boys, and then go to the Eastern Conference Final hissing.

“I think there is a good feeling with the team. We are just taking it game by game, instead of looking at the Final. We are looking at taking it game by game. Instead of looking at the future, we are in the present.

“I feel like we are in a good spot right now. The boys are hissing. So much competition is making it hard for the coaches but making it better for the players. Because not everything is a given.”

Buy tickets for the 2023 Eastern Conference Final on Saturday, July 1 at 6:30 PM ET.