ATL closes out convincing win over NOLA

A fast start and a clinical finish saw Rugby ATL taking a 38-28 win over NOLA Gold at The Snake Pit on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff was moved ahead by 90 minutes to avoid an incoming storm and the rain held off just long enough to allow for an entertaining contest.

The Ratlers were hit by a late change to the starting lineup as Mark O’Keeffe went down in the warmup with an ankle injury. It didn’t seem to phase the team in the slightest. Robbie Petzer stepped into the midfield and the backs came flying out of the gates to inspire two tries in the opening minutes.

Both exposed gaps down the left side of NOLA’s defense. Rory van Vugt’s chip and chase put the home side on the back foot. When the ball swing back to the right, a miss-pass from Te Rangatira Waitokia was on the money for Jeremy Misailegalu to step the cover and finish in the corner. Bautista Ezcurra’s conversion attempt was no good.

It was almost deja vu next as van Vugt again found himself in space, and once again put up a speculative chip kick. This time the ball bounced perfectly off the turf back into his hands for an walk-in under the posts. Just four minutes were on the clock and the Gold were reeling.

Bad news hit ATL as flanker Connor Cook limped off with a lower leg injury, to be replaced by Daemon Torres. NOLA’s offense finally found success as a slashing run from Julián Domínguez broke the line, and then Dino Waldren came straight and hard, with a right-foot step to put him in under the sticks.

With NOLA now wary on the outside, a mistake in the midfield open the door for Ezcurra. A gap between the two locks opened and the flyhalf turned on the jets to dance in from just outside the 22. Adriaan Carelse took over the kicking duties but like Ezcurra couldn’t find the uprights.

Waldren made it a double when he ripped the ball from the arms of his own teammate Kevin Sullivan, spinning away from the tackle to touch down with Carl Meyer adding the conversion. Soon after Carelse was on target with a penalty goal.

A second Carelse three-pointer came just shy of the half-hour mark but not before Pat O’Toole scored NOLA’s third try. The hooker went low and hard off the post with Meyer’s extras giving the Gold a temporary lead. As the fullback jogged back to his side of the pitch, Torres was helped off with a dislocated shoulder and replaced by Vili Helu. The scoring blitz held off through halftime with the home side sporting a slender 23-21 advantage.

Not long after the restart a handling error handed the lead back to the visitors. A loose pass bounced off Damian Stevens with Cam Dolan the quickest to react, the big No8 galloping over untouched with Meyer tacking on the extra two.

There was no sense of panic from the Ratlers. After a series of phases NOLA were penalised for an intentional knock-on. Ezcurra went quick and with the Gold still retreating the Argentina playmaker found Carelse open to his right for the try. He couldn’t convert his own leaving the scores even.

On the other side of the hydration break Jason Damm won a turnover and Rowan Gouws pounded the ball into the corner. A knock-on in goal from Meyer while attempting to clear gave ATL an attacking scrum. Damm’s charge from the back was held short but there was no stopping Marno Redelinghuys curling around the corner at full tilt.

There would be no coming back for the Gold. Two penalties put a halt to hopeful attacks, and another gave Carelse a chance to ice the game from the tee, which he duly slotted.

The Ratlers will enjoy a bye week to rest some battered bodies with a return scheduled for May 8 against Toronto. Despite being played in Marietta it’s the Arrows who will be considered the home side on the score sheet. NOLA will have to contend with Toronto next Sunday at The Gold Mine.

 

SCORING

ATL 38
Tries – J. Misailegalu (2’), R. van Vugt (4’), B. Ezcurra (13’), A. Carelse (54’), M. Redelinghuys (62’)
Cons – B. Ezcurra 0/1, No kick (4’), A. Carelse 1/3 (63’)
Pens – A. Carelse 3/3 (24’, 29’, 76’)

NOLA 28
Tries – D. Waldren 2 (11’, 19’), P. O’Toole (27’), C. Dolan (44’)
Cons – No kick (11’), C. Meyer 3/3 (20’, 28’, 45’)

 

TEAMS

RUGBY ATL
1 Alex Maughan (17 Jonas Petrakopoulos 59′), 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg (16 Neethling Gericke 66’), 3 Wikus Groenewald (18 Will Burke 66’), 4 Marno Redelinghuys, 5 Johan Momsen, 6 Connor Cook (21 Daemon Torres 10’ {20 Vili Helu 28’ [19 Conor Keys 71′]}), 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Jason Damm, 9 Ryan Rees (22 Rowan Gouws 52′), 10 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Rory van Vugt, 12 Robbie Petzer, 13 Te Rangatira Waitokia (23 Duncan van Schalkwyk 57’), 14 Jeremy Misailegalu, 15 Adriaan Carelse

NOLA GOLD
1 Kevin Sullivan (17 Matt Harmon 52’), 2 Pat O’Toole (16 Eric Howard 52′), 3 Dino Waldren (18 John Sullivan 63’), 4 Ignacio Dotti, 5 Kyle Baillie (capt.) (19 Billy Stewart 70′), 6 Moni Tonga’uiha (20 Nikola Bursic 52’), 7 Devin Short, 8 Cam Dolan, 9 Damian Stevens (21 Holden Yungert 55’), 10 Timothée Guillimin (22 Hanno Dirksen 55’), 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Juan Cappiello, 13 JP du Plessis, 14 Joeli Tikoisuva (23 Tim Maupin 52′), 15 Carl Meyer

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistants: Henrique Platais (Brazil) & Cisco Lopez (USA)