Team of the Week

The June test window is now behind us and Major League Rugby has reached the end of its regular season. There are going to be some tricky weeks ahead though the return of Super Rugby this coming weekend helps and in a few weeks we’ll have the Canadian Rugby Championship. This week’s selection has a heavy North American slant after Argentina’s woeful effort against Scotland.

1 – Eric Fry (USA) A somewhat maligned figure in recent years while wearing the Eagles jersey, his scrum work has improved during his time in France. Against Canada it was his contribution in defense that caught the eye with a huge amount of tackles, many of them sending attackers backwards.

2 – Dylan Fawsitt (USA) Following up the outstanding efforts of Joe Taufete’e against Scotland is no easy ask. Fawsitt didn’t exactly light it up but he did his World Cup chances no harm with a solid all-around performance that featured several carries and an unblemished tackling record.

3 – Nathan Sylvia (San Diego Legion) It’s amazing to think how far the Legion’s scrum has progressed after their humiliating opening to the season against the Seawolves. Some new blood has helped. In recent weeks it’s been the Cal Poly product who has impressed, culminating in a rock-solid outing against the Glendale scrum on Saturday.

4 – Samu Manoa (USA) The Canadians were badly outgunned against a giant-sized Eagles pack. Manoa was the heaviest hitter of the bunch. He didn’t make huge yardage but every carry sucked in defenders and his bone-jarring tackles were heard round the grounds in Halifax.

5 – Evan Olmstead (Canada) All four starting locks had strong outings with Josh Larsen and Nick Civetta each playing key roles for their respective sides. Olmstead was in the thick of ever battle and grabbed himself a try while soldiering through a nasty thumb injury in the second half.

6 – Lucas Rumball (Canada) Bounced by Manoa but it only slowed him momentarily. As captain he has led by example and without a genuine ball carrying threat in the back row he has carried the load. Another whose influence in the match is often not reflected by the stat sheets.

7 – Tony Lamborn (San Diego Legion) His MLR debut was a memorable one, grabbing a try on the back of a driving maul. His efforts on both sides of the ball made a noticeable difference to the Legion’s confidence such that they defeated a previously unbeatable Raptors.

8 – Cam Dolan (USA) Another superb match, his work rate in defense was exceptional and along with Civetta he caused big problems at the lineout. All of that is overshadowed by his hat-trick heroics with ball in hand. At the peak of his powers and consistently hitting the mark.

9 – Shaun Davies (USA) The usual questions came up prior to the June tests as to who Gary Gold would start with at scrumhalf. Those can now be summarily put to bed with Davies’ name now underlined and in bold on the team sheet. His passing game has become an essential component of the Eagles offense.

10 – AJ MacGinty (USA) Finished the Premiership season in top form and has carried it through to test level. Magnificent against Scotland, and just as influential against Canada with another man-of-the-match performance. Kicking, tackling, passing, running. The complete package.

11 – Tonata Lauti (Utah Warriors) Now officially the leading try scorer in MLR with two more class finishes against Houston. His footwork is second to none in the league and he just seems to pop up in the right place at the right time. Kainoa Lloyd also did well for Canada.

12 – Paul Lasike (USA) Arriving to help out Lauti against Glendale is Utah’s talisman and captain. Lasike was a colossal figure against Canada, completely dominating the midfield and breaching the gainline with every carry. An awesome sight with ball in hand.

13 – Ryan Matyas (San Diego Legion) Remains on the outside looking in to the Eagles match day squad but can’t be far off after his recent showings with the Legion. Against Glendale he was a menace with ball in hand. His try early in the second half showed his acceleration and appreciation of space.

14 – Jeff Hassler (Canada) No doubt frustrated from his two previous outings and perhaps not quite at his absolute best against the Eagles but he was determined to make an impression and was finally rewarded with a hard-earned try in the dying minutes of the match.

15 – Emiliano Boffelli (Argentina) Must have wondered where his teammates were hiding but that did not deter him from offering his best with the opportunities given. Were it not for his forays with ball in hand it might have been an even bigger deficit at the final whistle.