MLR 2022 – ARN Team of the Week – Round 14

This past weekend saw pivotal results that have likely ended the playoff hopes of both Toronto and San Diego. New York’s place in the postseason is now almost secure, while Houston took a big step towards a first-ever playoff appearance to set up a titanic head-to-head clash against record setters Seattle in Round 17. Utah shocked ATL and LA edged Austin to put the top spot in the West up for grabs.

1 – Payton Telea-Ilalio (Austin Gilgronis) What an opportunity for the youngster making just his second start as a professional. Telea-Ilalio took it with both hands, holding his own in the scrum and offering go-forward with ball in hand. Another prospect, Utah’s Emerson Prior, showed well in his first ever MLR start.

2 – Dean Muir (Houston SaberCats) The skipper led from the front as the Cats did the business in a must-win game against the Legion. Muir was top class in the set piece, snatched up a loose throw-in that led to the bonus-point try, and he peeled off a maul late in the game to touch down the decisive score.

3 – Juan Pablo Zeiss (Houston SaberCats) Seattle’s Sam Matenga crossed for two tries, while New York’s Kalolo Tuiloma had a single and a monstrous tackle on Arrows captain Mike Sheppard. Zeiss was a force everywhere for the SaberCats, both at the set piece and in the loose where he scored the bonus-point try on a determined run through the San Diego defense.

4 – Dave Dennis (LA Giltinis) Honorable mention to San Diego’s Ben Mitchell, again one of his team’s best. Dennis was in the thick of a committed LA pack that did just enough get the win. Had they not held the line in stoppage time Will Magie would have had a chip-shot conversion to tie. A line break from Dennis also set the stage for the Ben LeSage try in the first half.

5 – Jurie van Vuuren (Utah Warriors) Since Jamie Lane’s injury van Vuuren has been filling in at lock instead of his preferred No8 spot. While he hasn’t had as many carrying opportunities it hasn’t slowed down his impact in the loose, particularly in defense where van Vuuren was a force at the breakdown in the win over the Ratlers.

6 – Jesse Parete (New England Free Jacks) When the opposition singles you out for special attention, it’s usually because you’re doing something right. Parete was a pain in the backside for Old Glory and though he took a silly penalty for a shoulder-check on Jack Iscaro, he quickly made amends with a vital first-half try amidst a pile of bodies.

7 – Gideon van Wyk (Houston SaberCats) It was a busy week for openside flankers with several knocking on the door. van Wyk was never far from the ball against the Legion. He was rewarded with a try from close range early on and looked to have a double on a breakaway in the second half, only for the score to be erased by a late hit away from the play.

8 – Lance Williams (Utah Warriors) A handful of others would have been in contention on just about any other week, but this was no normal performance from Williams. He produced one of the best individual efforts of the season, scoring two tries himself and creating another. On defense Williams was just as influential, winning two vital turnovers late in the game to shut down any hope of an ATL comeback.

9 – Danny Tusitala (Old Glory DC) His team came up short, but shoulders were held high after pushing the league’s best side for a full 80 minutes. Tusitala was in the middle of a line break that came oh-so-close to a score for William Talataina, and the captain’s quick thinking opened the door for Junior Sa’u.

10 – Davey Coetzer (Houston SaberCats) The scoreline flattered San Diego on Sunday, with the Cats scoring six tries to two. Coetzer touched the ball twice on Marcell Muller’s try, and created the final score for Zach Pangelinan that sealed the result. All of that came after recovering from a thunderous Ma’a Nonu hit that left Coetzer and the crowd both gasping.

11 – Ed Fidow (Rugby New York) It was a bit of a free ride against a porous Arrows defense, but Fidow still had some finishing to do. By the 23rd minute he had already finished off two attacks  himself and graciously distributed to Jack Heighton for another try.

12 – Jason Emery (Rugby New York) The playmaker made Toronto’s midfield pay dearly for shooting out of the line. He put Fidow away for a double and later created a score for Brendon O’Connor. George Barton showed well in his first start with ATL, and New England’s Le Roux Malan also had a strong game.

13 – Wayne van der Bank (New England Free Jacks) New York’s Fa’asiu Fuatai was in the mix, but van der Bank was the man for the Free Jacks. He scored the game-winning try on an angled run that caught the DC backline off-guard. Also worked well with Malan in defense to shut down the midfield corridor.

14 – Lauina Futi (Seattle Seawolves) The Seawolves backline ran rampant against Dallas with Futi popping up everywhere looking for work. He grabbed two tries himself and set up another for  Riekert Hattingh. Utah’s Joe Mano was another standout with two tries against ATL.

15 – Duncan Matthews (Seattle Seawolves) Seven Seawolves scored tries against Dallas but somehow Matthews wasn’t one of them. He was too busy setting them up and shutting down any attempt by the Jackals to find space and much-needed relief via the boot.