ATL pull away from NOLA in Southern Derby

Recap

Rugby ATL made it two wins from two on their Major League Rugby ledger as they secured a 22-10 road win over the NOLA Gold on Sunday. Misty conditions made for difficult handling and it was the resolute Atlanta defense that proved decisive as the game reached its climax.

The game got off to a ferocious start as NOLA flanker Kevin O’Connor clobbered ATL flyhalf Kurt Coleman with a head-high shot that drew in a mob from both sides. A yellow card was brandished, and one does suspect the incident will receive further review by the citing officer.

ATL failed to take advantage of O’Connor’s mischief, and instead it was NOLA who had the first chance for points. They eschewed a kick at goal for the corner and the decision paid off as Lindsey Stevens made it to the line with the help of seven teammates. Carl Meyer’s conversion was accurate.

Coleman had a crack at three points from near halfway but it was pushed to the right. At the next penalty opportunity he went to the corner. NOLA slowed the maul but couldn’t stop Jeremy Misailegalu from scoring as he stepped and dragged two defenders with him to reach the line. The extras were off-target but ATL were right back in the game.

A shoeless Ignacio Dotti line break put ATL on the back foot and NOLA looked to have snared a try just before halftime when Cam Dolan reached over top of a ruck. It was ruled held up, however, and after the scrum the black jerseys held strong until Alex Maughan won a pivotal turnover to relieve the pressure.

NOLA’s tackling crept up again in the second half, with both Kyle Baillie and Tim Maupin treading a thin line. The assistant referee singled out Maupin’s as the more egregious of the two and the winger was sent to do 10 minutes in the sin bin. Coleman took the three points and ATL had the lead for the first time.

Another penalty from Coleman followed in quick succession that nudged ATL further ahead, but a reply from the boot of Meyer came with equal expediency. Both teams brought on fresh legs as the clock ticked over into the final quarter of play with only one point separating the two combatants.

It was ATL whose energy levels were highest in the final 20. Coleman added two more penalties and the defense shut down everything thrown at them. Ryan Nell’s turnover in the 79th minute freed Misailegalu down the left side with the final pass connecting with Rory van Vugt to deny NOLA a losing bonus point.

SCORING

NOLA 10
Tries – L. Stevens (18’)
Cons – C. Meyer 1/1 (19’)
Pens – C. Meyer 1/1 (57’)
Yellow cards – K. O’Connor (3’), T. Maupin (49’)

ATL 22
Tries – J. Misailegalu (28’), R. van Vugt (79’)
Cons – K. Coleman 0/2
Pens – K. Coleman 4/5 (49’, 53’, 66’, 74’)

TEAMS

NOLA GOLD
1 Matt Harmon (17 John Sullivan 61’), 2 Lindsey Stevens (16 Cam Falcon 58’), 3 Dino Waldren (18 Ben Tarr 52’-70’, 75’), 4 Ignacio Dotti (21 Malcolm May 66’), 5 Kyle Baillie (capt.) (20 Kane Thompson 58’), 6 Moni Tonga’uiha (19 Billy Stewart 54’), 7 Kevin O’Connor, 8 Cam Dolan, 9 Scott Gale, 10 Robbie Coleman, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Con Foley, 13 Ross Depperschmidt, 14 Tim Maupin, 15 Carl Meyer

Not used: 22 Trace Bolstad, 23 Shawn Riley

RUGBY ATL
1 Jamie Ferrante (17 Chance Wenglewski 50’), 2 Alex Maughan (16 Amro Gouda 58’), 3 Duane Aholelei (18 Cronan Gleeson 50’), 4 Johan Momsen, 5 Stefan Willemse, 6 Vili Helu (19 Conor Keys 59’), 7 Matt Heaton (co-capt.), 8 Ross Deacon (23 Jason Damm 50’), 9 Duncan van Schalkwyk (22 Kurtis Werner 61’), 10 Kurt Coleman, 11 Harley Wheeler (21 Martini Talapusi 66’), 12 Ryan Nell (co-capt.), 13 Jeremy Misailegalu, 14 Harley Davidson, 15 Rory van Vugt

Not used: 20 Maciu Koroi