ATL beats NOLA to secure home field Playoff

Rugby ATL were given an early scare by NOLA Gold but ultimately pulled away to a 45-19 win at Silverbacks Park on Friday. A dominant second half was the difference as the Ratlers secured home field advantage for next week’s Eastern Conference Playoff against Rugby New York.

The Ratlers were forced to reorganize their playmaking combination just four minutes into the game when Rowan Gouws left the field with a head knock. Duncan van Schalkwyk switched to scrumhalf with Kurt Coleman coming on at flyhalf.

Just a couple minutes later NOLA were in for the first try of the game. It came via the lineout drive with Pat O’Toole the man to come up with the ball. JP Eloff’s conversion attempt was pulled wide left.

A reply from ATL came at the end of several phases on attack. Coleman made a half-break and offloaded to a streaking van Schalkwyk who squeezed between three defenders to touch down under the posts for an automatic seven.

Just as quickly the Gold came roaring back. JP du Plessis broke two tackles and nearly made the line himself, with Ross Depperschmidt following up his center partner to catch the defense flat-footed and dive over for the try. This time it was a routine kick for Eloff and the flags went up.

Te Rangatira Waitokia scythed through the defense from near halfway to within 10 meters of the line. The attack was stopped but illegally, and Osaiasi Tonga’uiha saw yellow for a shoulder charge. After two attempts to drive over with the maul, a third was successful and Connor Cook took the credit.

Once back to full strength NOLA attacked with width to stretch the ATL defense. du Plessis breached the gainline, and when the ball went wide left Austin White mistimed an intercept attempt to leave the cover shorthanded. It was a simple two-on-one for Kyle Rogers who sent Devin Short into the corner. Eloff split the uprights and the Gold took a 19-14 lead into halftime.

The tables turned quickly in the second half. From a lineout drive Tiaan Erasmus went into the corner. Just a couple minutes later van Schalkwyk kicked ahead with nobody at home and Will Leonard won the race to ground the ball. Coleman’s first conversion attempt sailed across the face of the uprights but his second was inch-perfect.

Erasmus got his double on the back of another driving maul just shy of the hour mark. Alex Maughan replaced Erasmus at the hydration break and scored himself in identical fashion. Billy Stewart was binned for a cynical foul at the breakdown, and then Coleman freed a streaking Waitokia down the sideline for the final try of the game.

NOLA’s season has now come to a close and thoughts immediately turn to the 2023 campaign. For ATL it’s a date with New York at The Snake Pit next Sunday with the winner to face the New England Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Final on June 19.

 

SCORING

ATL 45
Tries – D. van Schalkwyk (13′), C. Cook (26′), T. Erasmus 2 (49′, 58′), W. Leonard (52′), A. Maughan (68′), T. Waitokia (77′)
Cons – No kick (13′), K. Coleman 4/6 (27′, 53′, 69′, 78′)

NOLA 19
Tries – P. O’Toole (7′), R. Depperschmidt (15′), D. Short (35′)
Cons – J. Eloff 2/3 (16′, 36′)
YC – O. Tonga’uiha (23′), B. Stewart (73′)

 

TEAMS

RUGBY ATL
1 Will Burke (17 Jonas Petrakopoulos 60′), 2 Tiaan Erasmus (16 Alex Maughan 60′), 3 John Sullivan (18 Lincoln Sii 60′), 4 Justin Basson (20 Evan Mintern 69′), 5 Johan Momsen (capt.) (19 Conor Keys 60′), 6 Vili Helu, 7 Connor Cook, 8 Daemon Torres (21 Ross Deacon 63′), 9 Rowan Gouws (22 Kurt Coleman 4′), 10 Duncan van Schalkwyk, 11 Austin White (23 Ryan Nell 60′), 12 Will Leonard, 13 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 14 Harley Davidson, 15 Joaquín de la Vega Mendía

NOLA GOLD
1 Matt Harmon (17 Kevin Sullivan 51′), 2 Pat O’Toole (16 Alex Lopeti 60′), 3 James Irey (18 Dino Waldren 46′), 4 Cam Dolan (capt.), 5 Billy Stewart, 6 Osaiasi Tonga’uiha (19 William Waguespack 60′), 7 Devin Short (20 Malcolm May 53′), 8 Moni Tonga’uiha, 9 Damian Stevens (21 Devereaux Ferris 65′), 10 JP Eloff, 11 Jack Webster (23 Joeli Tikoisuva 51′), 12 JP du Plessis, 13 Ross Depperschmidt (22 Aaron Matthews 44′), 14 Kenneth Jinkins, 15 Kyle Rogers

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Moe Chaudhry (Canada)
Assistants: Cisco Lopez (USA) & Henrique Platais (Brazil)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)