NEWS

‘I Would Not Be Shocked’ – Wayne van der Bank On Free Jacks Three-Peat Credentials

Written by Joe Harvey | Photo by Burt Granofsky

“I actually haven’t reflected on the year,” New England Free Jacks center Wayne van der Bank said.

Major League Rugby’s 2024 Player of the Year sat in his car, avoiding the cold ahead of leading a training session with teenagers in Massachusetts.

In 2024, the 28-year-old South African was the standout player for the Free Jacks as they lifted the Shield for a second season in a row, beating the Seattle Seawolves 20-11 at Snapdragon Stadium in the Championship Final.

Van der Bank was a walking highlights reel in 2024

MLR ON #SCTOP10 🚨😮‍💨

Wayne Van Der Bank coming in at #3, putting @NEFreeJacks on the board over @AnthemRugby #MLR2024 pic.twitter.com/r4KUcUQxKW

— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) July 1, 2024

The South African played in 17 MLR matches. He gained 1,353 meters, scored 10 tries, and made 187 tackles in defense.

Those performances came off the back of an individually tough season in which he made only 10 appearances for New England and did not appear in the postseason.

The 2024 @sportsbreakscom Player of the Year: Wayne Van Der Bank 🏆

Outstanding individual performances highlighted Van Der Bank’s third and best season with the @NEFreeJacks.

Read the feature: https://t.co/4PjPxRwHSi

🖊️ @joeharvey34 | #MLR2024 pic.twitter.com/HtQwCe0drR

— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) August 14, 2024

“The previous year (2023) was a bit of a tough year for me, only playing 10 games,” van der Bank said.

“That just lit a fire under my belly. My whole thing was to start here; I had nothing to lose and just enjoyed it.

“I had to stop worrying about stuff I can’t control and just do what I know I can do well. It was about playing with confidence.

“I don’t think a lot changed. All this stuff, like tackling and running with the ball, has always been there. It was more about not worrying about the outcome and just going for it.”

But while scooping the MLR Player of the Year Award and another winner’s medal was good, seeing his mother for the first time in three years was better for van der Bank.

“I hadn’t seen my mom for three years, but she came to watch the game,” he said.

“I just wanted to get a good result and celebrate with my mom. That was a special moment. Not even a lot of people on the team know about that.

“She stayed out for a while, and I spent so much time with her that I forgot about the season to be honest. It was perfect. The cherry on top.”

A FAMILIAR FACE BACK IN NEW ENGLAND

After the confetti stopped falling at Snapdragon Stadium, everyone knew there was change coming at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Two-time Coach of the Year winner Scott Mathie left Massachusetts after three fruitful years to pursue a new opportunity with Edinburgh Rugby.

Following the South African will be no mean feat.

But to do so, New England has turned to a familiar figure in the form of Ryan Martin.

Unfinished business.

Ryan Martin makes his return as Free Jacks Head Coach in 2025 after three years of coaching overseas.

Read more about this exciting signing at https://t.co/xuGBFPQZsw pic.twitter.com/GLORpMaGqP

— New England Free Jacks (@NEFreeJacks) August 21, 2024

The New Zealander led the Free Jacks for a season in 2021 and guided the team to a sixth-place finish in the Eastern Conference.

In his three years away from the USA, Martin was an assistant at the Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby, Toyota Verblitz in Japan, and with Northland in the NPC.

After working with some of the best rugby players in the world in this time, Martin will now bring everything he has learned back to New England.

But van der Bank believes that the Kiwi’s arrival offers the team continuity instead of change.

Photo by Brendan Buckley 

“The winning culture started with him,” van der Bank explained. “The game plan and stuff might change, the culture itself, he started. Coach Scott just came in and built on that.

“Then with Ryan being away and coming back, I think he’s building on top of that again.

“I think it will improve even more, which is pretty cool. I think when you get a new coach, you lose a little bit of the culture because every coach will bring in a different culture, but I think both coaches have complimented each other quite well.”

In addition to Martin’s return, several new recruits are making their way to Quincy.

With Reece Macdonald, Mitch Jacobson, and Mitch Wilson all moving on to new challenges, the team has strengthened their squad.

2024 Forward of the Year Jeronimo Gomez Vara has joined the club, as have Sam Caird, Jone Koroiduadua, Connal McInerney, and Canada internationals Brock Webster and Josiah Morra.

2024 Forward of the Year, Jero Gomez Vara – Photo by Brendan Buckley

There are returns for Joe Johnston and Jack Reeves, who represented the club in previous seasons.

Also, bringing back a significant number of title-winners from 2024, anticipation is building on the East Coast as preseason preparations begin.

“I think last year the squad was less strong than the previous year,” van der Bank said. “But this year, I feel like we have definitely bulked up, especially in the forward pack.

“If you look at the signings they made in the forward pack, as a back, it excites me a lot to see the people coming in.

“Tom Kindley, New England’s General Manager) always does an amazing job recruiting players, and that’s not just because they’re players; they also fit the environment.

“The culture of the team is very important. When they recruit people, it is people in line with the team’s values and culture.”

Photo by John Matthew Harrison

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK

New England’s season-opening fixture will see them play Rugby LA in California on Sunday, February 16.

Trips to the Chicago Hounds and Seattle Seawolves will soon follow for the team before finally playing the NOLA Gold in their Week 4 home opener.

Those games will tell the squad exactly what they need to know about one another as they enter 2025 with a target planted firmly on their back once again.

The team to beat, just how Martin’s men react to the added pressure and attention, will be of great intrigue.

Even then, the squad will be hell-bent on extending their title-winning credentials and playing their way back to the Championship Final once again.

It is a feat that has never been achieved, but the chance to write history in MLR’s eighth season of action is unprecedented.

So, will there be a three-peat in 2025?

“I would definitely not be caught off-guard or shocked if we do it three years in a row,” van der Bank said

“I don’t mean that in an arrogant or cocky way at all. It’s not because we walk around thinking we are the best. We do the hard work in everything we do.

“If it’s the gym, if it’s skills, it’s our normal field sessions; the boys work as if they want to do it three times in a row. The boys understand that as well.

“I think Coach Martin made a good point as well; if you want to do something that has never been done, we have to do something that we haven’t done before.

“It is good having him in the environment to make us understand that we can’t just rely on the old way of doing things to win us the title again.

“We’ll have to dig deep and do completely different things. It might feel uncomfortable in the beginning, but it doesn’t really matter. It is a new perspective. I’m really excited.”

Photo by John Matthew Harrison