NEWS

Round 6 | First XV, Player of the Week

1. Loosehead Prop, Franco Van Den Berg (Utah Warriors) – Franco completed a tough battle in the scrum against Ben Tarr of the NOLA Gold. Going the full 80 minutes, Van Den Berg executed on both sides of the ball, with the prop scoring a try early in the game to shift momentum to the homeside, while complimenting his offensive success with nine tackles on defense.
2. Hooker, Dylan Fawsitt (Rugby United New York) – The Butcher returned to action for RUNY and made his presence known early in the match. He scored New York’s first try, giving his side a lead they’d never relinquish. Fawsitt then ratcheted up the intensity defensively as he totaled 15 tackles, second best on the team, and added one breakdown steal on defense.
3. Tighthead Prop, Marco Fepulea’i (Glendale Raptors) – Marco anchored a solid attacking platform that helped the Raptors reach the summit in a snow trodden affair against the Warriors. Fepulea’i carried the ball 16 times for 66 meters through traffic in a blizzard.
4. Left Lock, Mike Sheppard (Toronto Arrows) – Mike got after it on defense with 16 tackles for the Arrows in some blustery conditions on Saturday. Going up in the air, he converted one lineout take and was a nuisance against the Raptors with a lineout steal. Sheppard also forced a turnover with 1 breakdown steal.
5. Right Lock, Luke White (Glendale Raptors) – The Captain led the team through the storm with 12 carries for 102 meters, one line-break, two tackle-breaks, and one offload. On defense, White completed five tackles.
6. Blindside Flanker, Peter Milazzo (Toronto Arrows) – Ferocious in the midfield, Milazzo led the Arrows with 19 tackles. He was the Arrows main aerial threat, recording three lineout takes and two lineout steals.
7. Openside Flanker, James Denise (Rugby United New York) – The old hand from NYAC demonstrated why he’s starting for Rugby United New York by scoring two tries and making 24 meters from eight carries. Denise’s hyper-activity on defense found him near the ball frequently, finishing with 13 tackles.
8. No 8., Ayron Schramm (Houston SaberCats) – Ayron was dominant in the breakdown on attack and defense, carrying the ball four times for 37 meters, completing two lineout takes, and registering 13 tackles.
9. Scrum-half, Carlo De Nysschen (Glendale Raptors) – Carlo continues to impress with his management and service out of the ruck. Heavy snow placed field position at a premium, and multiple times De Nysschen pinned the Arrows deep in their own half, with nine kicks for 193 meters.
10. Fly-half, Scott Gale (New Orleans Gold) – Scott kicked the ball 13 times for a ghastly 542 meters — forcing Utah to play out of their own half for a majority of the match with poor field position. With the ball in hand, Scott also made some payments in Gold with six carries for 52 meters made, one tackle-break, and one offload.
11. Left Wing, Nick Feakes (New Orleans Gold) – Nick Feakes found himself in the right position to gain everything against the Utah Warriors. Playing off the wing, Feakes demonstrated excellent footwork by dancing around defenders to score three tries.  On offense, Feakes gained 68 meters from seven carries, making one tackle-break, one line-break, and one offload. On defense, the winger completed all five of his tackles.
12. Inside Center, Con Foley (New Orleans Gold) – The Australian connections on the Gold got it done with the former 7s captain working the ball around at key moments. He made 32 meters from five carries and completed five tackles on defense.
13. Outside Center, Osea Kolinisau (Houston SaberCats) – The Olympian, back in full-fitness, provided the extra distribution needed for the SaberCats to threaten and churn against New York. Kolinisau made 48 meters from 10 carries, one tackle-break, and one offload on attack. He returned the favor on defense with eight completed tackles.
14. Right Wing, Josua Vici (Houston SaberCats) – A common site in the SaberCats-RUNY match saw Vici lugging multiple defenders as he fought for extra meters. By the final whistle, Vici carried the ball 11 times for 97 meters. His excellent vision lead to four beautiful offloads in contact. On defense, he brought the heat with nine physical tackles.
15. Fullback, Ben Foden (Rugby United New York) – Switching to fullback, Foden’s attacking prowess came alive: scoring a try, gaining 85 meters from five carries, and putting the ball in play with his kicking game four times gaining 201 meters to place pressure on the Houston SaberCats’ attack.

Player of the Week: Left Wing, Nick Feakes (New Orleans Gold) – The Hat Trick. Nick Feakes scored all three tries for the New Orleans Gold, battling the elements of a snowstorm against the Utah Warriors to secure a win on the road. The final try in the corner ended the match in the final seconds of gameplay, putting the Gold back on top of the Major League Rugby Standings.