DC heads into playoffs on a high with win over ATL

Old Glory DC will head into the playoffs on a high after defeating Rugby ATL 36-28 on Saturday. A strong crowd, the largest of the season at Segra Field, were treated to an exhibition of running rugby that featured 10 tries between the two sides.

The opening score came on the end of a long sequence of attack from the home side. William Talataina made ground down the left sideline and then made a second break up the middle. The ball went through several pairs of hands before Doug Fraser crossed on the end of an overlap.

ATL then went on the attack and as they advanced towards the DC line Nic Souchon illegally played the ball with his hands in a ruck and was received a yellow card for his efforts. When the ensuing scrum went down the ball came out and after a couple phases Matt Heaton crashed in under the sticks.

A knock-on from Gradyn Bowd in his own end gave the visitors another chance to score. The center scrum was a perfect platform to attack, and when Niall Saunders broke to the left the defense was caught shorthanded with Nolan Tuamoheloa left wide open for the finish. Duncan van Schalkwyk made the conversion from wide out.

It wasn’t long before ATL were on DC’s doorstep again. Te Rangatira Waitokia weaved through some porous defense and connected with Saunders, only for the scrumhalf to slip up at the last moment. Old Glory were caught taking the ball across their own line, and from the resulting scrum Saunders made amends by taking it on himself. van Schalkwyk tacked on two more to make it 21-5 to the visitors.

Tempers flared when Alex Maughan took out a charging Junior Sa’u with a no-arms chop tackle that landed the ATL prop in the bin. A scrum penalty went Old Glory’s way and then Sa’u came in off his wing to barrel through the middle for a try. Bowd chipped over the extras to make it a full seven.

The gap was closed further after Danny Tusitala went on his own sniping run from a scrum. He chipped ahead, and then a penalty conceded an attacking lineout to DC. Souchon came close when he broke from the maul and then Kyle Baillie’s looping pass found Jack Iscaro who punched over for the try. The knuckle-ball from Bowd curled over to make it a two-point game.

DC would take the lead, and the bonus point, on the stroke of halftime. Saunders attempted to kick ahead but it ricocheted off his own man and Lautaro Bavaro flicked the ball up to Tevita Naqali. With nobody in front of him the big second row galloped 25 meters untouched into the corner. The conversion attempt from Bowd fell just under the bar.

Both teams had scoring opportunities denied early in the second half. Peni Lasaqa burst clear from a John Rizzo offload only to be felled by a tap-tackle from Christopher Hilsenbeck. Next it was Vili Helu who snatched up a loose ball and sprinted 60 meters before being caught by Rizzo just a meter short.

It was Lasaqa who would score next for the home side. Naqali put the defense on the back foot with two strong carries, then Bowd chipped ahead for Bavaro to regather. Bavaro offloaded to Lasaqa in support for a diving finish. The kick from Bowd made it a 10-point game in favor of DC.

Tuamoheloa combined with Jack Shaw to made ground out wide on first phase from a scrum. ATL walked the DC defense backwards with multiple phases until Nahuel Milan reached out from a tackle to ground the ball on the line. Kurt Coleman’s conversion reduced the gap to just three points.

It would stretch in DC’s favor when Rizzo crossed at the 70-minute mark after a long sequence of phases. Ben Strang nearly found the line with an intercept in the final minute but he was tracked down by Talataina and Old Glory would eventually walk the ball into touch to end the game.

The bonus point win means that DC are temporarily ahead of New York in the standings, though the Ironworkers need just one bonus point to secure home field advantage in next Sunday’s playoff match. ATL end a frustrating campaign in second-to-last spot in the Eastern Conference.

 

SCORING

DC 36
Tries (6) – D. Fraser (8′), J. Sa’u (31′), J. Iscaro (36′), T. Naqali (40′), P. Lasaqa (48′), J. Rizzo (70′)
Cons (3) – G. Bowd 3/5 (32′, 37′, 49′), W. Talataina 0/1
YC (1) – N. Souchon (12′)

ATL 28
Tries (4) – M. Heaton (17′), N. Tuamoheloa (21′), N. Saunders (25′), N. Milán (55′)
Cons (4) – No kick (17′), D. van Schalkwyk 2/2 (22′, 26′), K. Coleman 1/1 (56′)
YC (1) – A. Maughan (29′)

 

TEAMS

OLD GLORY DC
1 Jack Iscaro (17 Cali Martinez 75′), 2 Nic Souchon, 3 Kyle Stewart (18 Quentin Newcomer 64′), 4 Tevita Naqali (19 Collin Grosse 59′), 5 Kyle Baillie (capt.) (16 KoiKoi Nelligan 78′), 6 Langilangi Haupeakui (16 KoiKoi Nelligan 13′-22′) (20 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz 52′), 7 Lautaro Bavaro, 8 Niko Jones (23 Alejo Daireaux 59′), 9 Danny Tusitala, 10 Gradyn Bowd (21 Thretton Palamo 52′), 11 Junior Sa’u, 12 Doug Fraser (22 John LeFevre 64′), 13 William Talataina, 14 John Rizzo, 15 Peni Lasaqa

RUGBY ATL
1 Alex Maughan (17 Lincoln Si’i 59′), 2 Sidney Tobias (16 Ben Strang 56′), 3 John-Roy Jenkinson (18 Will Burke 56′), 4 Nahuel Milán (19 Matt Gelhaus 69′), 5 Jordan Brown, 6 Vili Helu (20 Ross Deacon 56′), 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Daemon Torres (17 Lincoln Si’i 30′-39′), 9 Niall Saunders (21 Evan Conlon 58′), 10 Duncan van Schalkwyk (22 Kurt Coleman 49′), 11 Nolan Tuamoheloa, 12 Seth Purdey (23 George Barton 62′), 13 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 14 Jack Shaw, 15 Christopher Hilsenbeck

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
Assistants: Aaron Davis (USA) & Craig Sakowski (USA)
TMO: Luke Rogan (USA)