MLR 2022 – ARN Team of the Week – Round 6

Difficult weather conditions on the East Coast made for some interesting matches in the sixth week of the Major League Rugby season, with New England’s home opener against Toronto the most heavily affected. The results across the board were close with four games still in the balance at the final whistle.

1 – Luke White (LA Giltinis) Scrummaging was the knock against White in his former life as a prop, but he has been a pleasant surprise at the set piece in his return to the front row. Against Utah he faced a stern test in Paul Mullen and even won a penalty at the first engagement. White put in the hard yards away from the set piece.

2 – Marko Janse van Rensburg (Rugby ATL) Another top showing from ATL’s man in the middle who suddenly has a love for line breaks. Scored one try and almost had a second but was held up, while his set piece accuracy remains among MLR’s best. Andrew Tuala had some strong carries for LA.

3 – Paul Mullen (Utah Warriors) It’s unusual to see two props who were opposites in the scrum selected, but it was a competitive battle that saw both sides winning penalties. Mullen also worked hard in the tight-loose before handing over the reigns to equally busy Angus MacLellan.

4 – Ignacio Dotti (NOLA Gold) First full game back for the Uruguayan and he was a major reason why the Gold escaped with the win. Had several carries, one for a try, and was a banker in the lineout. ATL’s Johan Momsen maintained his typically high standards for ATL.

5 – Siaosi Mahoni (Houston SaberCats) The big man was back for the Cats and while he gave away a couple penalties, Mahoni was also a physical presence in the tackle and breakdown. Scored a try from short range and was a primary target at the front of the lineout. Jérémy Lenaerts put in a shift for Dallas, as did Nathan Den Hoedt for LA.

6 – Lance Williams (Utah Warriors) All-action Lance was in full swing against the Giltinis. He scored two critical tries in the victory, one on the end of a passing sequence and the second a more opportunistic snare in defense. Malon Al-Jiboori went well in his first start for Houston, and Moni Tonga’uiha was one of NOLA’s best.

7 – Slade McDowall (New England Free Jacks) The position with the most competition this week. New York’s Brendon O’Connor, San Diego’s Michael Smith, and NOLA’s Devin Short come to mind. McDowall was impressive even in dire conditions for New England, scoring two tries including one that made Toronto’s defense look very foolish.

8 – Evan Mintern (Rugby ATL) Has been mostly employed as a lock thus far for the Ratlers, but he got a start at his preferred No8 spot this weekend and enjoyed every minute. Mintern was brutal with ball in hand, attracting multiple defenders with every carry and draining the life of the Austin resistance.

9 – Dillon Smit (Houston SaberCats) A close call this week with Niall Saunders again a standout for Utah and Tas Smith introducing himself for LA. Smit dictated field position with his left boot and bossed the SaberCats forwards who had the better of their opposites. Grabbed a try in support of Danny Barrett’s pitch-length breakout.

10 – Jack Heighton (Rugby New York) Martini Talapusi deserves a tip of the cap for his excellent stand-in performance for ATL. This was never going to go anywhere else, however, after Heighton’s match-winning efforts for New York. Sam Windsor might have his work cut out for him to get the No10 shirt back.

11 – Matías Freyre (San Diego Legion) Scored two superb tries, one an individual effort and the second started and finished by the winger. Crunching hit on Fa’asiu Fuatai resulted in a defensive turnover. The kind of performance that might interest Eagles selectors now that he’s eligible. Utah’s Mika Kruse and Seattle’s Martin Iosefo were also busy.

12 – Bill Meakes (LA Giltinis) The defending champions are struggling right now but Meakes continues to deliver each and every week. Against Utah he was constantly moving forward, scoring one try himself and setting up one for Tas Smith.

13 – Alejandro Torres (Dallas Jackals) Tyler Fisher was a physical force for Utah, but we’ve opted for the livewire Torres for his two-try effort for the Jackals. The first score came from Ned Hodson’s grubber, the second was an individual effort that left NOLA’s defense grasping for air.

14 – Eric Naposki (Dallas Jackals) When your team is struggling you have to make your own opportunities, and that’s what Naposki did against NOLA. Turned up on the opposite sideline to create an overlap and grab a first half try. There was a similar performance from ATL’s Te Rangatira Waitokia though the latter didn’t find the score sheet.

15 – Duncan Matthews (Seattle Seawolves) Most of Seattle’s impetus this week came from the back where Matthews teamed up with Iosefo on the counter-attack. Chris Pennell was a key link man for Dallas and Robbie Povey enjoyed his first start of the season for Houston.