MLR 2020 Review – Rugby ATL

The first year of Major League Rugby was supposed to be a struggle for Rugby ATL. They were an entirely new team with their first ever match together less than a month before their league debut. There had been turbulence in the management as the relationship with Tiger Rugby ended abruptly, and until the cavalry arrived in January there were real concerns about their ability to compete up front.

RESULTS

Scott Lawrence is among the most highly-regarded coaches in the country and his charges showed they were not just here for the experience. The home opener was a grand success as ATL rallied from a big first half deficit to defeat the Utah Warriors. That was followed up with an impressive road win over the NOLA Gold in difficult conditions.

The realities of professional rugby hit back. Back-to-back home defeats against East Conference heavyweights New York and Toronto brought them back to earth. A thrilling contest against Old Glory in DC ended with ATL two points short and the team closed the season with a 2-3 record.

TOP PERFORMERS

Front rowers Chance Wenglewski and Alex Maughan showed why they have already earned Eagles caps and should win more with their excellent defensive attributes on show. Co-captain Matt Heaton was one of the form openside flankers in the competition and Ross Deacon made the hard yards that were expected from the base of the scrum.

Duncan van Schalkwyk settled into the scrumhalf position and looked every inch a future international. Jeremy Misailegalu was given the opportunity to own the outside center role and delivered the best rugby of his career. The Harleys – Wheeler and Davidson – were prominent on the wing despite sharing only one try behind them.

NEW NAMES

In this context we’ll be referring to the overseas arrivals. The South African contingent certainly made their presence felt. Stefan Willemse, Johan Momsen, and Marno Redelinghuys added much-needed physicality. Momsen was particularly notable setting high standards in every capacity.

Kurt Coleman was a class act at flyhalf in his return from nearly two years on the sidelines. Co-captain Ryan Nell stood between he and Misailegalu and showed his strength on both sides of the ball. Fullback Rory van Vugt is obviously very talented and we hope to see more from the New Zealander in 2021.

MISSING MEN

ATL had virtually a full strength side to choose from with the exception of USA Selects rep Zach Young who wasn’t able to take the field before the season was cut short. He will have something to prove in 2021, as will another Collegiate All-American – Maciu Koroi. The All-American back row made the match day squad against NOLA but did not see any playing time.

Other squad members who did not feature during the five weeks were prop Sam Chaney, flanker Paris Hollis, scrumhalf Eamonn Matthews, and utility back Zac Mizell. Matthews is the youngest at 23 and the most likely to make his ATL debut in 2021.

HOME BASE

Located at Life University campus, well outside Atlanta’s city center, Lupo Family Field was a reasonable venue to start out but doesn’t leave much room for growth. A new home will need to be found or built in the future. Fan support was promising though not quite on the level of fellow expansion teams Old Glory and New England.

WISH LIST

Securing the overseas talent will be a priority. Maughan played a huge amount of minutes so another option at hooker might be required. The second and back rows look well stocked if the South African return. If anything there might be too many blindside / No8 types on the roster.

Martini Talapusi did well enough as flyhalf cover though van Schalkwyk proved indispensable at scrumhalf. Goal kicking will be a work-on for all halfbacks. Wheeler will be taking a season’s hiatus in 2021 but the first recruit is impressive – Argentine international Bautista Ezcurra will come into the midfield, likely pushing Misailegalu to the wing.

OUTLOOK

It’s hard to say where the team might have ended up but in the ultra-competitive East Conference the 2-3 start was decent. They were 4th-best in points conceded but 4th-worst in points scored. This is a young squad that is likely another year or two away from really hitting their stride.