Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
New England have now set a new record for consecutive victories and there’s no telling when they might slow down. LA and Austin also continued their winning runs and are set for a titanic battle this coming weekend. San Diego were runaway winners over Dallas though it came at a cost with two backs injured, and New York escaped a furious NOLA comeback to put Toronto on the edge of playoff elimination.
1 – Kyle Ciquera (New England Free Jacks) ‘The Eagle’ has been something of a surprise package this season. His form on the pitch is starting to align with his character off it. Against Utah he was a man on the mission in the loose with some terrific carries and offloads. Still has work to do in the scrum but Saturday’s performance is a benchmark to build on.
2 – Dylan Fawsitt (Rugby New York) Lots of candidates here this week with New England’s Pieter Jansen and San Diego’s Peter Malcolm also scoring doubles. Fawsitt almost single-handedly pulled New York from the fire just when it looked like NOLA were on the bring of a heroic comeback.
3 – Hencus van Wyk (San Diego Legion) A quieter week for tightheads, we focused on a pair of South Africans. van Wyk performed his core roles with no fuss and a nifty offload sent Peter Malcolm clear, ultimately resulting in a try for Jason Higgins. ATL’s John-Roy Jenkinson was a monster in the scrum and came oh-so-close to scoring a try against LA.
4 – Ben Mitchell (San Diego Legion) Remarkably this is Mitchell’s first selection to our weekly best since Round 1, but he has enjoyed another excellent campaign for the Legion. Scored one try on the end of a breakout against Dallas and seemed to be everywhere around the pitch. It will be interesting to see if his form has convinced the USA selectors.
5 – Isaac Ross (Austin Gilgronis) The former All Black dominated the lineout alongside Sebastian de Chaves, completely denying the Seawolves clean first phase possession. In the loose he was both a ball carrier and link man, keeping moves alive with multiple offloads.
6 – Nathan Den Hoedt (LA Giltinis) Wasn’t even supposed to start the match, but lo-and-behold ‘Moose’ took the field at kickoff wearing No19 and he was instrumental in LA’s road win over the Ratlers. His diving slap-away that prevented Daemon Torres from scoring was one of the best defensive plays of the season. NOLA’s Moni Tonga’uiha was again in perpetual motion against New York.
7 – Devin Short (NOLA Gold) There was heavy competition here, with New York’s Brendon O’Connor and San Diego’s Michael Smith also near the top. Short seemed to cover every blade of grass alongside Tonga’uiha. His off-the-top pass to Cam Dolan set up a try for Kevin Sullivan, and an offload from the deck after a line break sent Juan Cappiello in for five.
8 – Kara Pryor (Rugby New York) It’s all about work rate with Pryor, whose impact is closer to that of a flanker than a traditional eightman. Against NOLA he combined with O’Connor to play a disruptive role while his support play on attack was rewarded with a try from a Jason Emery line break.
9 – John Poland (New England Free Jacks) Jason Higgins was a standout for San Diego, while NOLA’s Damian Stevens was electric at times though he wasn’t faultless. Poland scored one try against the Warriors and dictated the tempo with snappy distribution and some effective box kicking.
10 – Will Magie (Austin Gilgronis) Third time’s the charm. “Bill the Drill” replaced Mack Mason early in the first half and took charge with the boot. He put on a tactical kicking clinic but also provided sharp decision making on the gainline that kept Seattle on the back foot.
11 – Tomas Aoake (San Diego Legion) Left wingers weren’t as busy this week, but Aoake made his presence known with some winding runs down the sideline against Dallas. Speaking of the Jackals, Juan Pablo Aguirre scored a try on debut playing out of position but sadly came off injured in the first half.
12 – Bryce Campbell (Austin Gilgronis) Another position with multiple standouts. Le Roux Malan was again influential for the Free Jacks, and JP du Plessis has hit a purple patch of form for the Gold. Campbell was immense for the AG’s, with his hard running and offloads accounting for both of his team’s tries. It was a timely performance in a head-to-head clash with Eagles contender Tavite Lopeti that could influence selection for the July tests.
13 – Juan Cappiello (NOLA Gold) The scoreline at halftime flattered New York after a couple contentious calls from the official, and the Gold opted to run everything in the second half. Cappiello played a key role in the comeback and finished off a cracking team try in support of Devin Short.
14 – Ryan Matyas (San Diego Legion) New England’s Mitch Wilson will have impressed Gary Gold who was in attendance, but Matyas is our man. His man-of-the-match effort included a try early in the second half and even a commendable 25-minute cameo as a scrumhalf!
15 – Jordan Trainor (LA Giltinis) A steadying influence at the back who scored two first half tries in the win over the Ratlers. Thankfully passed a second-half HIA and returned to the field to help ward off any further scoring from the home side.
