MLR Notes: Surgery for Hattingh, Nonu suspended, Bowman signed

Seattle will be without Riekert Hattingh for a few weeks. Their captain underwent surgery on a broken foot and will miss most of – if not all – of the remainder of the regular season. It’s a significant blow to the Seawolves, who are just three points ahead of Houston for 2nd spot in the Western Conference that brings home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

In the meantime the club can still field a formidable loose forward trio with Ronan Foley the most likely to start at the back of the scrum, a position he occupied for the vast majority of his time in Toronto. Charles Elton and Nakai Penny should start on the flanks, with Andrew Durutalo capable of playing across the back row. Ben Landry could also be an option on the blindside flank.

Warriors fans would have been nervous when Caleb Makene came off in some discomfort late in the game against San Diego, but the prognosis is not severe with a bruised foot the culprit. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Makene rested against Dallas ahead of the tougher match-up against Houston next weekend. Kaden Duguid unfortunately won’t be joining the squad for the playoff run-in. The towering Canadian lock has not been released from his contract by French club Limoges but there are ongoing negotiations for a possible move to Major League Rugby in time for next season.

Ma’a Nonu has been suspended for one game after his accumulation of three yellow cards over the season. His third came against Utah on Saturday for a late and dangerous tackle on Warriors flyhalf Joel Hodgson. As a result Nonu will miss this weekend’s game against NOLA and will be eligible to return for the home game against the Ironworkers on May 28.

The Gold are hurting in a big way right now after losing four players in their brutal visit to Mount Vernon over the weekend. Eric Howard was a late withdrawal before kickoff with knee swelling caused by a damaged meniscus. Dougie Fife went off for an HIA within four minutes of the opening whistle, and at the 20-minute mark Billy Stewart collided head-on with Devin Short in a tackle and both were forced off with concussion. The soonest any of them could return is the road game against new England though the June 3 match against DC seems a more likely target.

With Pat O’Toole and Liam Hallam-Eames also recovering from head knocks and Maciu Koroi serving a suspension, the Gold were forced to field front rower Alex Lopeti on the flank for the last hour of the match against New York. Osaiasi Tonga’uiha is only just returning to contention after undergoing elbow surgery in the off-season, and big plans for first-round draft pick Chase Jones were ruined after he tore his Achilles in training early in the campaign.

Moni Tonga’uiha has been playing through a nerve problem this season and Tom Florence is still battling a persistent high ankle sprain. Long-term injury victims Andrew Guerra and Brian Nault are now unlikely to suit up at all this season with both now eyeing returns in 2024.

Sticking with New Orleans, one of their players achieved a unique distinction against the Ironworkers. Chris Schade made his club debut as a replacement in the second half. In doing so the veteran front rower became the first player to appear in both Super Rugby Americas (formerly SLAR) and MLR during the same season. Schade spent the last couple months playing for the American Raptors, the only North American outfit in the otherwise South American competition.

New York got a few bodies back on the weekend. Jason Emery played a starring role at flyhalf in Jack Heighton’s continued absence, and Teofilo Fidow has made a rapid recovery from his knee sprain. Heighton and flanker Brendon O’Connor are recovering from concussion. The meteoric emergence of Monate Akuei at openside flanker has been helpful and both Brad Tucker and Ben Bonasso are fit again. Loosehead prop Tevita Langi however will miss at least one game after failing an HIA in the second half.

Ironworkers Director of Rugby Operations Steve Lewis has taken up a new international coaching position. The former Jamaica 7s coach will lead Nigeria’s Men and Women in the upcoming Olympic pre-qualifiers in Mauritius. In fact it’s the second time Lewis had led the Black Stallions, earning qualification for the 2014 Commonwealth Games though they ultimately withdrew for reasons unknown.

One signing has been made official this past week, a lingering announcement following the already-passed deadline. Last year’s Canada u20 captain Liam Bowman has returned from a two-year stint with French Pro D2 side Montauban, where he had been playing regularly with their academy side. The 21-year-old center joins the Toronto Arrows for the remainder of the regular season and looks an obvious target to carry on with the side in 2024 and beyond. Bowman is a local, originally from the Oakville Crusaders club, who had previously spent a season with the Pacific Pride in Langford.