ATL overpower NOLA at The Gold Mine

Rugby ATL maintained their perfect record against NOLA Gold with a 34-17 win at The Gold Mine on Saturday evening. It was a high tempo game with both sides looking to stretch the defense early, but the power of the Ratlers pack took its toll and ultimately proved the difference.

The Gold got on the board first in spectacular fashion with an end-to-end try just three minutes into the game. Crisp hands freed Harley Wheeler on the right side. The winger stepped past one defender, stepped on the accelerator, and chipped ahead. Duncan van Schalkwyk couldn’t quite handle it and Damian Stevens was there to regather and score.

It took a few minutes for ATL to respond. Moni Tonga’uiha tore up the field for NOLA but a knock-on conceded a scrum. John-Roy Jenkinson seemed to single-handedly shunt the Gold backwards to earn a penalty. Soon after Will Leonard finished off an attack that lasted several phases though Joaquin de la Vega Mendia couldn’t quite land the conversion from out wide.

The Argentine used his footwork to create the next score. He checked two defenders before popping to Te Rangatira Waitokia, and it was a two-on-one for Austin White to touch down in the corner. That would be the winger’s last act of the game as he limped off with a leg injury.

Lui Sitama came on as a replacement and immediately barged over two defenders to set up a penalty kick for de la Vega Mendia. JP Eloff made ground for NOLA but the ball was turned over, and instead it was the Ratlers who scored again. Jenkinson played distributor this time with a short pass to a screaming Johan Momsen for a clean break and seven points went up on the board.

NOLA managed to get over in slightly controversial fashion just before halftime. Billy Stewart worked a give-and-go with Pat O’Toole at a lineout. Stewart then picked and thundered down the sideline, stretching out to ground the ball. ATL argued that his foot was in touch, but poor camera angles on the TMO review saw the try stand.

Some energy arrived for NOLA in the form of Nick Feakes, who ripped through a gap on a set move from a lineout. He was stopped just short but the ball was recycled quickly and flung wide to the right where a waiting Wheeler was there to touch down in the corner. The score was now 20-17 but that was as close as the Gold would come.

The Ratlers pulled away at the hour mark when Leonard stabbed a grubber through for de la Vega Mendia to score between the posts. One final dagger came from Kurt Coleman. The flyhalf was first receiver at a scrum and simply stepped and ran straight through to the line to erase all hope of a comeback.

It’s a well-earned week off for the Ratlers next week before they return for a road game against San Diego on April 24. NOLA are straight back in action as they head north to face another Eastern Conference rival in the Toronto Arrows.

 

SCORING

NOLA 17
Tries – D. Stevens (3′), B. Stewart (38′), H. Wheeler (54′)
Cons – D. Stevens 1/3 (4′)

ATL 34
Tries – W. Leonard (16′), A. White (20′), J. Momsen (29′), J. de la Vega Mendía (59′), K. Coleman (73′)
Cons – J. de la Vega Mendía 1/3 (74′), No kick 2 (29′, 59′)
Pens – J. de la Vega Mendía 1/1 (23′)

 

TEAMS

NOLA GOLD
1 Kevin Sullivan (17 Kavika Peniata 74′), 2 Pat O’Toole (16 Eric Howard HT), 3 Dino Waldren (18 Brian Nault 53′), 4 Malcolm May (19 William Waguespack 53′), 5 Billy Stewart, 6 Moni Tonga’uiha, 7 Devin Short, 8 Cam Dolan (capt.) (20 Maciu Koroi 60′), 9 Damian Stevens (21 Devereaux Ferris 60′), 10 Robbie Coleman, 11 Ross Depperschmidt (23 Nick Feakes 50′), 12 JP du Plessis (22 Aaron Matthews 72′), 13 Juan Cappiello, 14 Harley Wheeler, 15 JP Eloff

RUGBY ATL
1 Will Burke (16 Alex Maughan 64′), 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg (17 Jonas Petrakopoulos 77′), 3 John-Roy Jenkinson (18 John Sullivan 64′), 4 Justin Basson, 5 Johan Momsen, 6 Connor Cook (19 Conor Keys 72′), 7 Matt Heaton (co-capt.), 8 Daemon Torres (20 Ross Deacon 64′), 9 Ryan Rees (21 Rowan Gouws 64′), 10 Duncan van Schalkwyk (22 Kurt Coleman 64′), 11 Austin White (23 Lui Sitama 21′), 12 Will Leonard, 13 Ryan Nell (co-capt.), 14 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 15 Joaquín de la Vega Mendía

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: George Selwood (England)
Assistants: De Wet Roos (USA) & Saade Bou-Mikael (USA)
TMO: Austin Reed (USA)