Team of the Week

What an absorbing weekend! It was truly a landmark event for American rugby, one that will love long in the memory. The arrival of Major League Rugby is truly exciting, and its future looks very bright indeed. There was also some European finals to watch, two Super Rugby games of note, and two ‘pseudo-MLR’ games that did not go unnoticed.

Of note – we will not be making weekly MLR selections this season. With only two games happening on two separate weekends we have opted to forego that for now – as we did with PRO – but it is on the table for next season and we will have a year-end XV. In the meantime all Americas-eligible players are of course in consideration for our regular weekly picks.

Making our selection difficult right off the bat this week was the outstanding scrum performances of both the Ontario Arrows and Seattle Seawolves. We could have chosen any or all but as ever – there can be only one!

1 – Rob Brouwer (Ontario Arrows) How to choose between two worthy options? Seniority seems a fair place to start. Brouwer and the Arrows crushed Boston at the set piece, completely denying them first phase possession and the Canadian international even grabbed a try for his efforts. Seattle’s Kellen Gordon did not disappoint against San Diego, and Olive Kilifi kept the momentum going.

2 – Ray Barkwill (Seattle Seawolves) When it comes to the front row, the order of importance goes 1) set piece, 2) set piece, and 3) set piece. Everything else is a bonus. Barkwill is the type of hooker who scrums against the wall before bedtime. The Legion are now aware. AJ Quattrin is working his way up the ladder, he had a try-scoring performance for the Arrows.

3 – John Hayden (Seattle Seawolves) Subbed off the excellent Australian Tim Metcher early in the second half. It was only a half-hour of work for Hayden, but he made every second count. Smashed his opposite in the scrum and his line break created an early try-of-the-season contender. Honorable mention to Tom Dolezel of the Arrows for his demolition job on the Mystics.

4 – Cam Polson (Seattle Seawolves) At the scoring end of what Hayden started. Polson is a workhorse who started well on the blindside but once he moved to his natural habitat in the Seawolves engine room his wheels really got churning. Glendale’s Ben Landry was in contention until he mistook rugby for rasslin’.

5 – Tyler Ardron (Chiefs) Four starts, four wins, two Super Rugby Team of the Week selections. They’re based on stats which means you don’t get in without putting in a shift. One try, a bunch of carries, and a handful of lineout takes against the Reds. Ardron doesn’t have to be the center of attention with the Chiefs, he can just play his natural game and it’s great to see him enjoying his rugby again. Guido Petti was the best of the Jaguares forwards.

6 – Evan Olmstead (Newcastle Falcons) His first European Cup match was a doozy. Falcons lost handily but Olmstead’s defensive performance was absolutely superb. We’re starting to wonder if maybe the blindside is his best position. Woefully underused at Newcastle this season, a change of scenery might well be on the cards.

7 – Hanco Germishuys (Austin Elite) The plaudits are raining down for this young man in 2018. Brilliant in the Americas Rugby Championship and one game into MLR he’s doing it again. A phenom. The Terminator. Thank you Hanco. Vili Toluta’u had some big shoes to fill when his captain Riekert Hattingh went down and had a terrific game on the flank for Seattle.

8 – Sebastián Kalm (NOLA Gold) This guy just doesn’t stop. We just hope his body holds up from the wear and tear he puts it through. Bowled his way into the try-zone in the first half and kept motoring through the final whistle. Seattle’s Aladdin Schirmer was a close second after shifting to the back of the scrum, his defense particularly notable.

9 – Gonzalo Bertranou (Jaguares) There were two top MLR contenders in NOLA’s Holden Yungert and Shaun Davies of the Raptors. Unfortunately Bertranou was also class, and it was the halfbacks who controlled the game in the impressive road win over the Brumbies. Sharp distribution and picked his moments to check the fringe defense.

10 – Nicolás Sánchez (Jaguares) It’s been a while since Nico last appeared in this team, 37 weeks to be exact. He looks to be edging back into the form that made him one of the world’s best flyhalves. Against the Brumbies he had it all – poise, courage, and accuracy. Here’s hoping there’s more in the weeks ahead.

11 – Emiliano Boffelli (Jaguares) We’ve said it repeatedly. This guy is the goods. He didn’t get a huge amount of possession against the Brumbies but every time he touched the ball it was all hands on deck. Scored one try and left several defenders for dead.

12 – JP Eloff (NOLA Gold) One try and 20 points in all is usually a decent day at the office. Mr. Versatile looks to have found a home at inside center. Against Houston he proved the spark in the backline, when there were opportunities he took them. Glendale’s Bryce Campbell battered Austin’s line and we suspect he’ll be the mix all season.

13 – Matías Orlando (Jaguares) Two players were good enough to earn this shirt so we’ll have them both in our side. Orlando had a big game for Los Jaguares on both sides of the ball. He scored the first try of the game and had several strong runs. On defense his tackling was flawless.

14 – Josh Whippy (Utah Warriors) The rugby gods were particularly cruel in Herriman on Friday night. After scoring four tries in a storming performance at outside center against the Prairie Wolf Pack, the Eagles winger broke his left leg in the final minutes and will miss the entire MLR season. It’s tough news both for Utah and a player set to put real pressure on the incumbent test starters. Reece Czarnecki found the line twice for Austin, while Harley Davidson proved a master salesman for Glendale.

15 – Joaquín Tuculet (Jaguares) After something of a slow year year in 2017 he has returned to vintage form thus far in 2018. His counter-attack game looks as sharp as ever, and he ripped clean through the Brumbies defense on two occasions. Now looks set to assume the captaincy with Pablo Matera suffering a shoulder injury.