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This past weekend was a wild one for Major League Rugby. Three significant records fell, including two in the same match. Luke Burton was a late scratch for the LA Giltinis ahead of their game against the Austin Gilgronis. With Matt Giteau and Luke Carty already on the injury list, the defending champions were suddenly without a flyhalf.
Answering the SOS was LA’s skills coach Orene Ai’i. The former New Zealand 7s star was playing in a professional match for the first time since July of 2016, when he started in the midfield for the San Francisco Rush in the now-defunct PRO Rugby competition.
If the gap between appearances – approaching six years – wasn’t enough, Ai’i became the oldest player in the history of Major League Rugby. At 42 years, 5 months, and 10 days he eclipsed the previous mark set by Seta Tuilevuka who was 39 years, 7 months, 17 days when he came off the bench for Seattle against New England in June of last year. Ai’i is the first and only player born in the 1970’s to appear in MLR. Former Utah hooker Blake Burdette came into the world slightly later, in mid-January of 1980.
In a remarkable twist of fate an LA player also set the record for youngest player to appear in MLR in the same match. Kahanu Koi entered the field at 72 minutes as a winger. His mark of 18 years, 8 months, and 15 days jumps ahead of the previous mark of 19 years, 1 month, 26 days set by Arrows winger Kobe Faust against New York last June.
Those were the records set but not the only interesting factoid from Saturday’s match. Of the 30 players who started the game, 15 had Super Rugby appearances on their resume. Another three came off the bench. Of those 18 players, half made appearances in the top tier competition during the past two years.
The third record to fall was in Utah where the Warriors put up a league record 69 points on the expansion Dallas Jackals. It’s just the third time the 60-point plateau has been breached. Ironically both previous occasions came against the Warriors. Toronto were 64-31 winners in March 2019 and Glendale 64-22 winners in May 2019. The 47-point margin of victory tied the record set by LA in their 52-5 win over Houston last June.
Utah can also claim a new high attendance mark at a game this season. While numbers for all games have not been made publicly available, it’s been confirmed that the 3,608 at Zions Bank Stadium is the biggest crowd in 2022, jumping ahead of the 3,152 that were at the Dallas home opener against Houston.
Ai’i and Koi were joined by a third debutante for the Giltinis on Saturday. Belmont Shore and former USA u20 flanker Zach Bonte made his professional debut. The Giltinis have been hit hard by injuries with Luke Burton and John Ryberg joining nine others on the disabled list prior to the match.
Dallas have removed four three players who were previously announced as signings from their roster. Loosehead prop Rory O’Connor and flanker Charlie McKill evidently will not be joining the team from Australia, while Canadian hooker Dewald Kotze has also dropped off the list for reasons unknown. Meanwhile flanker Ayemere Oiyemhonlan made his pro debut for the San Diego Legion on Sunday. No transaction has been indicated on the MLR Trade Wire.
EDIT: Dallas have since responded, clarifying that while O’Connor and McKill are not joining due to visa delays, Dewald Kotze remains on track to join the team subject to clearance.
