Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Old Glory have been hit with news that their captain Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz has been suspended for five weeks following his red card received in the first half of Saturday’s home opener against Chicago. ‘JFS’ was sent off following a collision with Billy Meakes that saw the Hounds captain toppling over head-first. The judiciary decided that the offense was ‘mid-range’ with two prior red cards on his record an aggravating factor.
While the incident looked bad, the circumstances show that the collision was entirely accidental. An overthrow at the lineout saw the ball bouncing off the deck. As the two captains pursued at full tilt, Meakes opted to jump in the air to regather, and landed awkwardly on the shoulder of Fa’anana-Schultz. It remains to be seen if DC will appeal the decision that would see their captain ruled out until the May 4 clash against Miami.
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Houston have formally added academy flanker Aiden Kerr to their senior roster. The 20-year-old had previously spent a season playing for Western Washington University before moving to Texas. He follows Seth Smith in graduating from the development side to a professional deal.
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Seattle is likely to be without Riekert Hattingh for Friday night’s game against the Warriors. Their captain and No8 came off for an HIA after the opening kickoff against Miami and did not return. Meanwhile the SaberCats lost tighthead prop Maks van Dyk to a lower leg injury in the first half against Miami.
Three players went down in the first half of San Diego’s home opener against LA. The Legion lost back row Tupou Afungia to what looked like a thigh problem, and for the visitors it was center Jason Emery’s knee and the ribs of hooker Bruce Kauika-Petersen that are of concern.
Old Glory winger Perry Humphreys exited late in the first half against Chicago, though it wasn’t immediately clear what the issue was. On the other side Hounds No8 Luke White suffered a nasty gash on his hand, though he did return to the pitch after going off for repairs. Anthem No8 Dylan Fortune left early in the game against Dallas with lower back discomfort.
