The Dallas Jackals posted their first-ever win Saturday night, dispatching the Toronto Arrows 14-11.
The Jackals went 0-16-0 in their inaugural 2022 season in Major League Rugby and were 0-6-0 when the Arrows arrived at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Sam Golla and Canadian hooker Dewald Kotze scored tries for Dallas. Martin Elias added a conversion with Golla’s try, scored under the posts, coming with an automatic conversion.
Scrum half Ross Braude scored the lone Toronto try with fly half Sam Malcolm, in his 45th appearance for the club, kicking two penalties.
The Arrows (1-5-0) can now finally look forward to a home game after playing the first six outings of the season on the road. They have lost three straight since edging the expansion Chicago Hounds 27-26 on March 11.
Toronto hosts the defending champion New York Ironworkers (2-3-0) at York Lions Stadium next Saturday.
Malcom gave the Arrows a 3-0 lead in the 20th minute with his boot. But Dallas pulled ahead on a rampaging run by Golla, the first overall pick in the 2022 MLR draft out of Cal-Berkeley.
The six-foot-four 245-pounder broke a Toronto tackle and then raced 30 metres, evading the Toronto fullback en route to scoring.
After a second Malcom penalty, Braude darted over in the 48th minute from the back of an Arrows maul for an 11-7 lead.
The Jackals regained the lead in the 60th minute with Kotze crashing over from in-close from the back of a maul. Born in South Africa, Kotze moved to Canada when he was 14. A product of Rugby Canada’s Pacific Pride developmental program, he has represented Canada at the under-20 level.
Dallas had been outscored 157-78 this season prior to Saturday.
Toronto was without the injured Nic Benn, Ciaran Breen, Cole Davis, Mason Flesch, Will Grant, Travis Larsen, Conan O’Donnell, Shane O’Leary, Mitch Richardson, Tautalatasi Tasi, Corey Thomas, Micaiah Torrance-Read and Adrian Wadden,
But coach Peter Smith was still able to field a matchday squad featuring nine internationals: seven Canadian, one Chilean and one Irish. Arrows academy lock Hank Stevenson made his first start for the senior side.
The Arrows thumped Dallas 57-0 when they met last May in Toronto. Seven different players scored tries in the largest shutout victory in Major League Rugby history.