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Let’s be brutally honest. This was without question the worst weekend of action in Major League Rugby history. Picking a team from two matches ruined by snow and another that rarely moved beyond second gear was not an easy task but if the game must go on, the game must go on.
1 – Franco van den Berg (Utah Warriors) Went well enough in the scrums and was prominent in the loose. Had one line break and wrestled his way over for a try in the first half. Rob Brouwer was one of Toronto’s better forwards.
2 – Chad Gough (Glendale Raptors) Rewarded with a start this week and despite the cold managed to get around the pitch and make an impact. Scored the opening try of the game while pretending to be a winger and to be fair, nobody could tell otherwise.
3 – Paddy Ryan (Rugby United New York) Had a proper tussle with Jamie Dever in the scrum which we’ll call a draw. With the game played largely in the forwards his piano-moving skills were effective and he came close to scoring on one of a few carries.
4 – Saia Uhila (Utah Warriors) Seems to be held together by tape yet still manages to be a destructive force in the contact area. Put in a couple rib ticklers against the Gold and was in close support of his teammates for the full 80 minutes.
5 – Luke White (Glendale Raptors) How ironic that the person seemingly least affected by the blizzard was an Australian. White has taken the captaincy role in the absence of Shaun Davies and has been a superb example for his team. His line break at the end set up the winning try as most were desperately waiting for the final whistle.
6 – Lance Williams (Utah Warriors) A tireless worker who seemed to revel in the challenge of the conditions. Scored an early try and kept motoring throughout. Needs to work on his accuracy to avoid the yellow card he received but we can forgive him for over-enthusiasm.
7 – James Denise (Rugby United New York) One of the true ironmen of New York rugby. Probably didn’t expect to be playing professionally this season but here he is, scoring two tries against Houston and piling into the fray with his beaming red helmet leading the charge.
8 – Ross Deacon (Rugby United New York) Another week of dragging men with him over the gainline. He doesn’t rack up huge mileage on the stats but every step is significant, either setting the platform or simply taking out defenders. An essential part of New York’s offense against Houston.
9 – Holden Yungert (NOLA Gold) Let’s make one thing clear. Those conditions are a nightmare for a scrumhalf. Your hands freeze, you can’t get the ball away quickly, and large men are trying to crush you from every angle. Yungert survived the fact that all three NOLA tries came from a winger means he was doing something right.
10 – Scott Gale (NOLA Gold) His miss-out pass for the game-winning try could have earned him the spot alone. Gale did do some other stuff though, namely some quality tactical kicking that got in behind the Utah cover defense.
11 – Nick Feakes (NOLA Gold) Three tries for a winger on a game of snow rugby? Inconceivable! Feakes had some finishing to do on two of his tries including the winner. Another Australian doing well in the snow… what’s going on here?
12 – Tim O’Malley (Utah Warriors) Not a great day for catch and pass but he did get the odd one through the hands. The captain’s greatest contributions were in defense and with his boot, which got the Warriors out of danger on more than one occasion.
13 – Tristan Blewett (NOLA Gold) Started on the wing but played the final quarter at outside center. He come infield looking for work so much it seemed like he was in the midfield the whole time. Had one big line break and as usual was fully committed to his tackles.
14 – Harley Davidson (Glendale Raptors) Caught the ball and managed to touch it down in-goal, a clear indication that something happened out there on the edge of the pitch. Also made a couple tackles, probably holding on a little long just to keep warm.
15 – Dylan Taikato-Simpson (Glendale Raptors) Makes the team purely for the entertainment value of seeing the snow burst into the air with every sidestep attempt. Either that or it was his try, and the part he played in another. Take your pick.
