Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The New England Free Jacks have confirmed the return of Jesse Parete for the remainder of the Major League Rugby season. Initially signed through 2023 when he was announced ahead of last season, the New Zealander was then confirmed to be departing the side in the off-season, only to suddenly re-commit to the Eastern Conference finalists.
Parete featured heavily at blindside flanker last season but should be primarily used at lock, after playing there exclusively with Taranaki in the NPC. The 29-year-old isn’t the only player bolstering New England’s pack. Expect another announcement in the coming days of a second unexpected arrival.
Some heavyweight help also looks to have arrived in Seattle. Samu Manoa made a cameo appearance as a water carrier for the Seawolves in their victory over Dallas on Friday night. Though the club have not made any formal announcement, the big man is reportedly back in training with the side. It remains to be seen when he will show up in a match day squad.
Dallas could soon be short a second backfielder to suspension after Martín Elías was sent off just two minutes into the game against Seattle. The flyhalf took to the air to catch a high ball, but in the act stuck a boot straight in the face of Seawolves winger Lauina Futi. Marcos Moroni was handed a three-game ban for the same infraction in the season opener.
Jackals fans will also be waiting anxiously on the fitness of scrumhalf Pedro Imhoff, who left the game during the first hydration break with an undisclosed injury. Lucas Bur was ruled out before the match, and with Maikeli Naromaitoga also sidelined Conrado Roura was forced into an unfamiliar role at lock.
Chicago didn’t get the win they were hoping for against Utah but they did get a strong turnout in their home opener. The official tally was 4,443 which bodes well considering the brisk temperatures. There was some bad news, however, as Hugh Roach went down with a knee problem early in the first half and star winger Julián Domínguez injured a shoulder or collarbone after being caught on the receiving end of a heavy clearout from Paul Lasike.
The Warriors meanwhile might have a couple concerns of themselves. Caleb Makene came off at halftime, and it wasn’t clear if it was tactical or for injury. His replacement Cliven Loubser didn’t even last three minutes when he was whipped to the ground by Mark O’Keeffe and helped off the pitch.
Houston had to re-jig their starting lineup against San Diego, with Danny Barrett a late withdrawal. Carlo de Nysschen took a blow to the face and came off shortly before halftime, replaced by Nick Boyer. If he isn’t ready to face Seattle, the SaberCats should be able to call on Dillon Smit for the first time this season. The latter wanted to play against the Legion but was advised to take an extra week off.
The match was also rough on San Diego. Josh Henderson came off at the same time as de Nysschen, presumably for an HIA, and did not return. Isaac Ross limped off gingerly after twisting a knee towards the end of the game, and shortly after Fred Apulu exited with an ankle issue.
Lastly, it was a shaky weekend for the production crew. The most notable problems were missed cards. Elias’ red went completely unnoticed by the commentary crew for nearly 10 minutes, and a yellow card against Pago Haini late in the game for New York against DC wasn’t seen on camera. There have been some improvements to the broadcast quality this year, but accurately relaying cards and substitutions from the field is still a problem.
