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The Glendale Raptors left no debate as to who was the superior side as they flattened the New Orleans Gold by a score of 47-10 at Archbishop Shaw Field on Sunday afternoon. Seven tries in all and a six-from-seven kicking performance from Will Magie contributed to a Major League Rugby record for greatest margin of victory.
New Orleans has proved an inhospitable venue for visiting teams with the heat and humidity taking its toll. While the Raptors were visibly affected it did not deter them from putting in a professional performance, in control of territory and tempo from start to finish.
Instead it was the home side who looked out of sorts. Bryce Campbell smashed over inside five minutes for the first score, and Mika Kruse touched down in the left corner soon after. Both tries came with almost automatic precision, and a third for John Quill from a driving maul was no less efficient.
It took nearly half-an-hour for the Gold to get on the board. A crisp attacking move was finished off by the nimble feet of Joey Sok. The conversion attempt from JP Eloff was no good, however, and New Orleans had to settle for only a five-pointer heading in to the break.
Glendale’s discipline towards the end of the half was poor and the repeat infringements cost them as Sam Figg was sent to the bin. It didn’t seem to bother them at all. Magie picked off a Nikola Bursic pass to race clear for the bonus try with plenty of time to add more to the ledger.
Two lovely touches from Ata Malifa on one continuous attack resulted in a try for Zach Fenoglio. The first was quick hands that set Figg free around the outside, the second after it had been recycled. Malifa took on the line and popped the ball up to Fenoglio for another clinical score.
Cameron Troxler was a rare bright spot for New Orleans. The fullback impressed on debut, both going forward and in defense. He was rewarded with a try after Taylor Howden stabbed a chip kick through and got a favorable bounce that made Seth Halliman look silly.
That would be it for NOLA’s account on the day. Figg touched down with only a couple minutes to go and then Campbell got his second with a cheeky grubber that popped up perfectly for him to run onto and into the end zone. Magie’s sideline conversion drove the stake an inch deeper.
The Raptors now trail the Seawolves by only a single point in the overall standings but have one game at hand. With three to play they require only one more point to secure their spot in the Semi Finals. They can do so as early as Friday evening when they host the struggling Houston SaberCats at Infinity Park.
NOLA will be disappointed with the result. They were outmuscled up front and simply outclassed around the park. One last home game will come on Saturday when the San Diego Legion arrive in town. A loss would all but end their hopes of a post-season appearance.
SCORING
NEW ORLEANS 10
Tries – J. Sok (27’), C. Troxler (67’)
Cons – J. Eloff 0/1, T. Howden 0/1
GLENDALE 47
Tries – B. Campbell 2 (4’, 80’), M. Kruse (11’), J. Quill (19’), W. Magie (47’), Z. Fenoglio (61’), S. Figg (77’)
Cons – W. Magie 6/7 (5’, 12’, 48’, 62’, 78’, 80’)
Yellow cards – S. Figg (40’)
TEAMS
NEW ORLEANS GOLD
1 Hubert Buydens (18 Anthony Parry 49’), 2 Cam Falcon (16 Alec Janotka 49’), 3 Ben Tarr (17 Derrek van Klein 49’), 4 Nikola Bursic, 5 John Sullivan (19 Myles McQuone 72’), 6 Moni Tonga’uiha, 7 Matt Hughston, 8 Chad Joseph (22 Peceli Rinakama 63’), 9 Holden Yungert (21 Vita Makasini 63’), 10 JP Eloff (20 Brennan Falcon 51’), 11 Joeli Tikoisuva, 12 Taylor Howden (capt.), 13 Tim Maupin, 14 Joey Sok (23 Michael Baska 65’), 15 Cameron Troxler
GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Blake Rogers (16 Luke White 51’), 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Kelepi Fifita (18 James Del Bozque 51’), 4 Connor Cook (20 Kody O’Neil 50’), 5 Ben Landry (20 Kody O’Neil 40’-50’), 6 Peter Dahl (17 Zach Fenoglio 51’), 7 John Quill (19 Brian Wanless 68’), 8 Sam Figg, 9 Shaun Davies (capt.) (21 Jake Christmann 70’), 10 Will Magie, 11 Harley Davidson, 12 Bryce Campbell, 13 Chad London (22 Ata Malifa 50’), 14 Mika Kruse, 15 Seth Halliman (23 John Ryberg 68’)
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Chris Assmus (RC)
Assistants: Josh Houston (USAR) & Allen Alongi (USAR)
