MLR Team of the Week

With nine teams now in the league and a minimum of three matches a weekend, we’ll be doing something new this year – a weekly XV composed of players from Major League Rugby. Of note is that this XV differs from our usual ‘Team of the Week’ in that all MLR players will be eligible, not just those from the Americas as we usually do. For the next few weeks we will have two select XVs – one from MLR, and one from the Americas Rugby Championship.

1 – Nathan Sylvia (San Diego Legion) Had a couple strong carries but it was his overall workrate particularly in defense that caught the eye. The Legion front row put continual pressure on New York’s inside runners. He also did well in the scrum against Eagles cap Paddy Ryan, even more remarkable considering Sylvia was playing tighthead exclusively last season.

2 – Eric Howard (New Orleans Gold) A close call with Glendale’s Chad Gough putting in a mightily impressive shift around the park. Howard gets bonus points for his try and though one or two throws might not have been aesthetically pleasing all nine hit their targets. A good start to the season for NOLA’s new Captain Canuck.

3 – Paddy Ryan (San Diego Legion) The priority for San Diego in the off-season was the scrum and in Ryan they have an experienced campaigner who will hold his own. His lungs were burning at times but it was because of his immense effort in defense. Tim Metcher played well for Seattle and Houston’s Charlie Connolly also impressed.

4 – Nate Brakeley (Rugby United New York) A titan in New York’s pack. Bossed the lineout, made numerous tackles, and won a turnover that that resulted in 3 points. That wasn’t all. He also tapped back a restart and produced a critical lineout steal in the dying moment of the match to save the game.

5 – Josh Larsen (Austin Elite) It was a dreary day in Round Rock but the Canadian would have felt right at home in the rain. He was Austin’s primary target in a game where lineouts were critical, and Larsen was also a complete nuisance on Houston’s throw. Scored a try and contributed plenty around the pitch. Seattle’s Api Naikatini also got consideration.

6 – Kyle Baillie (New Orleans Gold) Another from the Great White North who went well and there’s still the backs to get to. Baillie was perhaps less conspicuous in the lineout than normal but only because he was doubling as a lifter. His line break and give-and-go with Holden Yungert created a try for Con Foley.

7 – Hanco Germishuys (Glendale Raptors) Went toe-to-toe with fellow Eagle Vili Toluta’u and was almost without fail in the middle of the numerous off-the-ball skirmishes. For a destructive flanker that’s not a bad thing. Germishuys made plenty of tackles and carried strongly with one trademark run through a wall of defenders creating the second Raptors try. Devin Short had a strong all-around game for San Diego.

8 – Cam Dolan (New Orleans Gold) Celebrated his first match for NOLA with an imperial all-round performance. The standout figure in the lineout, his link play created two tries and he made his share of tackles around the breakdown. Even had time to put in a massive clearance kick in the second half. New York will have been pleased with the impact Ross Deacon with several charges over the gainline.

9 – Santiago Arata (Houston SaberCats) Arguably the toughest selection of the week with three players acceptable winners. Holden Yungert was in great form for NOLA, and Nick Boyer was like an extra forward in defense for San Diego while also scoring a fine try. Arata is half the size of Boyer but his defense is also outstanding and he made some big hits against Austin, also winning a crucial turnover that resulted in a vital penalty goal. In poor conditions he gave crisp service to Sam Windsor and his box kicking was quality.

10 – Joe Pietersen (San Diego Legion) A nod to Houston’s Sam Windsor, who on any other weekend might have been a shoe-in with his heroic kicking performance at Dell Diamond. Unfortunately for him Pietersen was arguably the most influential player of the round with a superb effort for San Diego. It wasn’t just the 5-for-5 kicking from the tee, or the try, or the line breaks, or the crisp passing game… even the little things like bailing the team out deep in their own end were of the highest order.

11 – Dan Moor (Toronto Arrows) Technically speaking the left wing spot should rightfully go to Glendale’s John Ryberg or New York’s Connor Wallace-Sims, but Moor is equally at home on the left side and his excellent match against NOLA demanded inclusion. Two fine finishes and an offload that put John Moonlight into space. Every time he touched the ball he caused havoc and his defense was up to scratch. We’ll forgive him the final pass that just drifted out of Kainoa Lloyd’s reach.

12 – Chad London (Glendale Raptors) Lined up directly opposite another contender in Seattle skipper Shalom Suniula. London’s value to Glendale is not about flash. He is like an extra flanker in the backline, making big hits and often securing the breakdown when the likes of Harley Davidson and Mika Kruse break free. With Bryce Campbell departed London is also an option to make hard yards up the middle.

13 – Tristan Blewett (New Orleans Gold) Ben Foden showed some classy running lines and crisp handling in his MLR debut though one does wonder if he might be more effective at his natural position of fullback. Blewett signed for NOLA with much less hype but showed he will be among the very best in the league at outside center. Used his speed to commit the defense and free his outside backs, defended aggressively, and showed some footballing skill to control the ball for the winning try.

14 – Brock Staller (Seattle Seawolves) Make it two Canadians on the wing. Almost on cue, as soon as the commentating team said he had been quiet he exploded into the game. Scored one of the highlight reel individual tries of the weekend and one slipped kick aside was deadly accurate with the tee. Proved his temperament with the game-winning penalty to the delight of the Seattle faithful.

15 – JP Eloff (New Orleans Gold) This one required no debate. Eloff has been given free reign in Nate Osborne’s attacking scheme, and he reveled in the space against the Arrows. His step back inside and offload created the second try and he used his speed to get past the defense for his own score. Eloff’s ability to enter the line at literally any position is going to cause headaches for defenses all season.