New York holds off ATL in chaotic contest

Rugby New York staved off a Rugby ATL comeback to come away 36-31 winners at Silverbacks Park on Saturday. It was a chaotic back-and-forth contest that saw the Ratlers recovering from an early deficit to take the lead in the second half, only to see it slip away again in the final quarter.

An early penalty from Sam Windsor from straight in front of the posts put the visitors on the board first. Joaquin de la Vega Mendía had an opportunity to equal the score at the other end but his kick pushed right of the posts.

The first try also went to New York. Windsor took a high ball under no pressure and gave the ball to Ed Fidow. The powerhouse winger rounded one defender and stepped back inside two more to touch the ball down under the sticks.

Another try would come moments later via the other New York winger. Andrew Coe, who already had one interception just a couple minutes earlier, snatched onto a telegraph from the ATL backline to race away untouched and make it a 17-0 game.

The Ratlers finally got on the board through their talisman Johan Momsen. A quick tap at a penalty from Rowan Gouws put New York on the back foot and Momsen was there on his shoulder to take it over the line. Duncan van Schalkwyk looked to have scored a cracking try from a Matt Heaton chip kick soon after, but an obstruction was spotted in the build-up to rule out the score.

New York recomposed themselves and used a penalty to earn a lineout in scoring position. With a little help from the backs, the pack drove ahead until Dylan Fawsitt fell over the line with Sam Windsor adding the extra two points.

ATL fired back with two tries before halftime. New York were caught in possession deep in their end and Evan Mintern’s turnover led to an Alex Maughan try from close range. Next it was Will Leonard who would make in impact against his former team, finishing off an overlap on the left side to close the gap to just 3 points after 40 minutes.

Leonard made his mark on the defensive side early in the second half. The inside center won a turnover that led to an attacking lineout. The ATL pack went to work and Maughan soon had a double thanks to the hard work from his mates. de la Vega Mendía’s conversion now saw the Ratlers taking a 28-24 lead.

Unfortunately for ATL the comeback would not hold. Just ahead of the hydration break a set move from New York’s backline saw Fidow in acres of space out wide. He charged downfield and sucked in the final defender, flinging a wide pass on the run to Jason Emery in support for an automatic seven.

Miscommunication in the defensive line opened the door for a fifth New York try. Brendon O’Connor split a gap between two forwards and it was a simple pass to Troy Lockyear for the finish. Jack Heighton couldn’t connect with the conversion but it was an 8-point buffer with 15 minutes to play.

Kurt Coleman replaced a shaken up de la Vega Mendia and would land a penalty kick to bring the Ratlers back within striking range. The game was temporary halted as John Powers was attended to after being knocked cold in a tackle. When it resumed ATL came close but couldn’t quite get the score they needed, and when New York won a penalty Windsor opted to kick it dead instead of taking another shot at goal.

It’s another road trip for New York next Saturday when they take on the Dallas Jackals at Choctaw Stadium. ATL will enjoy a weekend off before returning for a home match against the Houston SaberCats on March 5.

 

SCORING

ATL 31
Tries – J. Momsen (23′), A. Maughan 2 (35′, 46′), W. Leonard (38′)
Cons – J. de la Vega Mendía 4/4 (24′, 36′, 39′, 47′)
Pens – J. de la Vega Mendía 0/1, K. Coleman 1/1 (68′)

NEW YORK 36
Tries – E. Fidow (18′), A. Coe (20′), D. Fawsitt (31′), J. Emery (59′), T. Lockyear (64′)
Cons – No kick 3 (18′, 20′, 59′), S. Windsor 1/1 (32′), J. Heighton 0/1
Pens – S. Windsor 1/1 (4′)

 

TEAMS

RUGBY ATL
1 Will Burke (17 Jonas Petrakopoulos 59′), 2 Alex Maughan (16 Marko Janse van Rensburg 51′), 3 John Sullivan (18 Wikus Groenewald 59′), 4 Evan Mintern, 5 Johan Momsen (20 Conor Keys 59′), 6 Connor Cook (21 Vili Helu 69′), 7 Matt Heaton (co-capt.), 8 Ross Deacon (19 Justin Basson 59′), 9 Rowan Gouws (22 Ryan Rees 47′), 10 Duncan van Schalkwyk, 11 Nolan Tuamoheloa, 12 Will Leonard, 13 Ryan Nell (co-capt.), 14 Austin White, 15 Joaquín de la Vega Mendía (23 Kurt Coleman 54′)

RUGBY NEW YORK
1 Chance Wenglewski (17 Zak Taulafo 47′), 2 Dylan Fawsitt (16 Kaleb Geiger 54′), 3 Nic Mayhew (18 Wilton Rebolo 47′), 4 Nate Brakeley (capt.), 5 Charlie Hewitt (19 Will Tucker 44′), 6 Benjamín Bonasso, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 8 Kara Pryor (20 Joe Basser 57′), 9 Connor Buckley (21 Andy Ellis 47′), 10 Sam Windsor (22 Jack Heighton 47′), 11 Ed Fidow (23 John Powers 69′ {10 Sam Windsor 73′}), 12 Jason Emery, 13 Fa’asiu Fuatai, 14 Andrew Coe, 15 Troy Lockyear

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Damián Schneider (Argentina)
Assistants: Cisco Lopez (USA) & Dave Edwards (USA)
TMO: Chris Assmus (Canada)