NEWS

Major League Rugby Week 11 Recap

Written By Joe Harvey

It was a bumper Week 11 of Major League Rugby action, with seven matches over five days.

There have been big moves in the Eastern and Western Conference, and plenty more will follow in the coming days.

But before Week 12 clicks into gear, here is a reminder of the most recent round of MLR action.

NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS 23-21 RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB LOS ANGELES

The New England Free Jacks moved top of the Eastern Conference thanks to their 23-21 win over Rugby Football Club Los Angeles on Tuesday night.

New England took the lead 16 minutes in thanks to a Dan Hollinshead penalty, six minutes after a 20-minute red card for scrum-half John Poland.

Los Angeles duly charged into a halftime lead with converted Rory van Vugt and Nick Chan tries.

To take a commanding lead in the contest, the Free Jacks crossed the whitewash through back-row forward Wian Conradie, two more Hollinshead penalties, and a Kyle Steeves try.

The visitors took a losing bonus point home thanks to a Semi Kunatani score with the game’s final play.

ANTHEM RC 19–60 SEATTLE SEAWOLVES

On Tuesday night, the Seattle Seawolves scored nine tries against Anthem RC to pick up a 60-19 win in North Carolina.

It took just five minutes for the Western Conference side to break the deadlock through Lauina Futi before further scores for Seattle’s Riekert Hattingh, Malacchi Esdale, JP Smith, and Jeremiah Sio. The hosts did register first-half tries from Ethan Howard and Jason Tidwell.

After Howard was sent to the sin bin early in the second half, a Rodney Iona penalty and Brock Gallagher try sent the visitors even further ahead.

Dan Kriel crossed the try line shortly after Anthem was restored to 15 players, although the home team did score their third try through Conner Mooneyham shortly afterward.

Kerron van Vuuren and Duncan Matthews dotted down either side of a Mooneyham yellow card to wrap up a dominant win.

RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB LOS ANGELES 36–38 SAN DIEGO LEGION

The San Diego Legion retained the Cali Cup and returned to winning against Rugby Football Club Los Angeles on Saturday evening.

Ex-NFL linebacker Cassh Maluia powered over for Legion with just six minutes on the clock and set the wheels in motion for his team’s 38-36 win.

In response, Los Angeles took the lead with quickfire tries from Ben Sugars and Ben Houston.

An enthralling first half continued with scores for Legion’s Brad Wilkin and Jed Holloway, while Jurie van Vuuren’s converted effort made it 17-all at halftime.

Wilkin and Holloway completed their double act again as the second half got underway; the two Australians scored either side of Gonzalo Bertranou’s yellow card.

When San Diego’s Christian Poidevin was in the sin bin, Ed Timpson breached the try line for LA, and Mikey Sosene-Feagai levelled the scores in the 72nd minute.

Lincoln McClutchie’s conversion of Tomas Aoake’s try ultimately proved to be a significant factor, particularly as Reece MacDonald failed to level the score from the kicking tee when attempting to convert Billy Meake’s late lurch for the whitewash.

HOUSTON SABERCATS 48–27 OLD GLORY DC

The Houston SaberCats scored six tries against Old Glory DC to secure a second win in two games and add five more points to their Western Conference tally.

Early in the contest, DC’s Jason Emery and Houston’s AJ Alatimu traded penalties each before the visitors moved ahead once again when Martin Vaca rumbled over the try line.

In order to take a commanding halftime lead, Nathan Den Hoedt scored twice, Tautalatasi Tasi dotted down once, and Alatimu slotted another penalty goal for the home team.

Much like the opening 40 minutes, Emery got the first points in the second half from the kicking tee.

Alatimu’s effort kept the scoreline ticking over for Houston, and less than a minute after Old Glory’s Lautaro Bavaro scored, Dom Akina kept the hosts on their front foot.

Max Schumacher added a final try for the SaberCats score, while Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz’s 76th-minute try was DC’s final act, and Juan-Dee Oliver’s penalty closed out the match.

UTAH WARRIORS 41–31 CHICAGO HOUNDS

The Utah Warriors scored 29 unanswered second-half points to wrap up a 41-31 win over the Chicago Hounds.

It was a lively first half at Zions Bank Stadium, where Joey Mano opened the scoring for Utah in the second minute after an early yellow card for Chicago’s Nate Augspurger.

The Warriors soon doubled down with Phil Bradford’s 11th-minute score. Six minutes after his return to the game, Augspurger was shown a second yellow card.

Chris Hilsenbeck finally got Chicago on the scoreboard before a yellow card for Lance Williams helped the visitors gain a further foothold in the game.

Maclean Jones, Zurabi Zhvania, and a penalty try while the No.8 was off the field, and when Joey Mano was in the sin bin again, Jones drove low for the whitewash once more for the visitors to lead 31-12 at the break.

Chicago did not score again in the second half as Joey Mano bagged a brace. During tries for Tu Vugakoto, Nic Benn and Joel Hodgson’s penalty secured a handsome victory for the Warriors.

NOLA GOLD 44–36 SEATTLE SEAWOLVES

The NOLA Gold beat out the Seattle Seawolves 44-36 in a highly competitive Sunday night clash.

After a delayed start in Louisiana following heavy rain and lightning, NOLA opened the scoring with a Dorian Jones penalty with just four minutes on the clock.

Seattle did recover quickly to score and convert a Jade Stighling score but quickly found themselves reduced by two players when Rhyno Herbst and Stighling received quickfire yellow cards.

NOLA scored through Isaac Te Tamaki and Jonah Mau’u to make the most of that advantage. 

Seawolves’ JP Smith went to the sin bin on either side of his teammates’ return to the field, with Mau’u able to score his second of the game before a second Jones penalty.

Immediately after Smith was reintroduced to the contest, the scrum-half kept his team in the game with a try on the stroke of halftime.

If you felt that the first half was hectic, there was plenty more of the same coming at The Gold Mine at the Shrine on Airline.

The Gold’s Xavier Mignot and Seawolves’ Lauina Futi traded early tries before the visitors’ Eddie Fouche also dotted down. Luke Carty notched a penalty to keep NOLA in command of the contest.

Chase Jones and Carty were shown yellow cards with less than 10 minutes left to play and resigned the home side to playing out the game’s final moments with 13 players.

To wrap up third place in the Eastern Conference, the Gold rumbled over the try line through Joe Taufete’e, with the hooker scoring either side of tries for Seattle’s Divan Rossouw and Devin Short.

MIAMI SHARKS 31–5 ANTHEM RC

It was a businesslike performance from the Miami Sharks to dispatch Anthem RC 31-5 on Sunday night.

Tomas Cubelli lunged over the try line from close range to open the scoring with five minutes played, and Marcos Young extended Miami’s lead further shortly afterward.

Before the halftime break, Santiago Videla nudged the Sharks further ahead, and Anthem’s Connor Robinson received a yellow card.

To start the second half, Tomas Cubilla scored beneath the Miami posts.

Just after the hour mark, Anthem got on the scoreboard through Robinson, although Mitch Wilson was unable to convert his hooker’s score.

With the final play of the game, the Sharks secured a try-scoring bonus point through Tomas Bekerman, moving his team up to third in the Eastern Conference.