Dallas, Texas Now Has A Professional Rugby Team

If you’re a big sports fan, then Dallas-Fort Worth is the place to be! The metroplex has a team for every kind of sport that you can think of.  Currently here are over 12 professional franchises for a variety of different sports including, football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and even hockey.  Now there’s one more team to add to the list.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex now has its very own professional rugby team.  Last Saturday night, over three thousand fans filled the seats at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, as the Dallas Jackals kicked off their season against the Houston Saber Cats.

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Choctaw Stadium (formally known as Globe Life Park), was the home of the Texas Rangers from its opening in 1994 until 2020, when the baseball team moved into their new stadium across the street. When the ballpark was vacated, it was renovated, and transformed from a baseball diamond into a multi-purpose stadium.  Currently the facility is capable of hosting football, soccer, and rugby games.  It’s even hosted a few concerts, since the Rangers moved to their new ballpark.

Since a lot of Texans are unfamiliar with rugby, the Jackals explain the rules and regulations of the game, right before kick-off.  Basically, rugby is a combination of football and soccer.  the game is played in two, 40-minute halves.  Each team has 15 starters, and 7 substitute players.  Players can pass the ball by throwing it backwards, or kicking it frontwards.  The team that scores the most points at the end of the second half wins the game.

Unfortunately, the Jackals failed win their home opener, with the Saber Cats winning 38-33.  They will take on Rugby United from New York, this Saturday night in Arlington.