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It’s been a tumultuous off-season for the ‘Roosters’ who have seen a change at the ownership and most recently one at Head Coach as well. On the players side some stalwarts have left the team and there will even be a new home venue with MCU Park suddenly out of the picture. New York fans are in for a wild ride in 2021.
2020 RECORD: 3-2 (4th East, 5th overall)
HEAD COACH: The sudden and unexpected departure of Greg McWilliams has left Marty Veale as caretaker. A former second row who had stints as a professional in Japan and England as well as his native New Zealand, he was previously in charge of the forwards but does have Head Coach experience with local club side Old Blue.
CAPTAIN: Fire and brimstone spew from the eyes of Dylan Fawsitt. ‘The Butcher’ is a near mythical creature in New York, a hooker of relentless intensity who is both revered and feared by his own teammates nevermind the opposition. Additional on-field input will come from former All Blacks scrumhalf Andy Ellis.
STAR PLAYER: This will be the final kick at the can for Ben Foden. The former England fullback has confirmed his retirement at year’s end, and one might presume the 35-year-old has nothing left to prove but his MLR career to date has not been as stellar as one might have hoped. A motivated Foden will be a big boost to the side.
KEY DEPARTURE: Saying goodbye to all-time New York greats Jamie Denise and Mike Petri is sad but inevitable. It’s Cathal Marsh who leaves the biggest gap. The Irishman might not have been the absolute best flyhalf in MLR but he was a true professional who delivered game in, game out. His spot will go to New Zealander Dan Hollinshead this season.
SMART SIGNING: It might be a stretch to call this one ‘smart’. Nick Civetta is from New York, after all, and had openly declared his intent to play in MLR. In all honesty it was a bit of a no-brainer. Ignoring that Civetta is a fantastic addition who gives RUNY three locks who will be on Gary Gold’s Eagles watch list throughout the season.
ONE TO WATCH: The unfortunate demise of the Toronto Wolfpack has expedited the return of Quinn Ngawati to rugby union. Standing 6’4″ (1.94m) and blessed with bags of talent, for most it’s just a matter of time before the 21-year-old Canadian center becomes a front line international.
STRENGTHS: At full compliment RUNY can field a match day 23 that matches the quality of anyone in the tournament. They have dynamic ball carriers in the forwards, a strong set piece, and a prime time finishers on the wings. Overall the roster is a good mix of youth and experience.
CONCERNS: This is a rather compact squad who may be a body or two short in the forwards at the moment. Aside from the coaching issue, there seems to be a lot banking on 36-year-old Ellis to stay match fit with his understudies very inexperienced. Finding a new home venue is proving somewhat problematic and preseason training in the snow was also far from ideal.
OUTLOOK: If injuries don’t present themselves and the team lives up to its potential, they are absolutely capable of mixing it with the best in MLR. Making a statement in their opening round clash against San Diego will be a good start. Expect them to be in the top half of the East Conference but they’ll need a little luck of the Irish to go all the way.
