Difficult to know what to take from this week, as four of the nine teams played snow rugby and three were idle. Rugby United New York made the trip to Houston and the result was as expected. Was any new information gained?

If anything, we’ve learned that NOLA Gold was resilient enough to adjust to the weather, whereas Toronto Arrows were not. And we’ve learned that managing the schedule to avoid snow will be even more complex next year when Boston and DC enter the fray.

#1 SEATTLE SEAWOLVES (Record: 3-2; Last Week: #1)

Still buzzing from their victory over RUNY, Seattle keeps its seat on top. They remain the only team to have plucked the Roosters. Though they sit only third in the table, they host the Houston SaberCats this week. If recent history is any guide, that should be a bonus point win for the Seawolves.

Seattle is not without concerns. Their point differential is a meager +5. That’s largely because they’ve shown their quality at home, but have yet to pack it on the plane. After Houston, they’ll make the trip down to Austin in Round 8. Against an Austin Elite Rugby team that hasn’t been able to get out of its own way, it should be another easy win for the Seawolves. If it isn’t, then road struggles may be a bigger weakness than we realized.

#2 SAN DIEGO LEGION (Record: 4-1; Last Week: #2 tie)

Another idle team, another team that holds its spot in the rankings. The Legion have an impressive +43 point differential, far and away the best in the league. But then again, 28 of that differential came against Austin.

This week they host the Toronto Arrows and next week they travel for the Glendale Raptors. It will be the toughest stretch of their schedule since they opened with New York and Seattle. They went 1-1 in those first two fixtures, but will probably need to win these next two on the bounce if they want to avoid dropping in the ranks.

#3 RUGBY UNITED NEW YORK (Record: 3-1; Last Week: #2 tie)

RUNY dropping out of a second-place tie this week obviously isn’t a reflection on their play in Round 6. They did, after all, record a bonus point road win. When rankings are chosen using mathematical averages across votes from all TRS MLR contributors, funny things can sometimes happen. Last week, the numbers gave us a tie. This week, with RUNY winning like expected and the teams above them idle, the rest of the numbers worked out in such a way that the tie was narrowly broken.

No matter. With a road win in Utah this week, something that has proved difficult thus far, the Roosters would make their home debut sitting on a 4-1 road record. That’s a big deposit in the playoff bank. A convincing win in Utah has so far eluded the league. If RUNY can manage it, they’ll also put a nice deposit in the rankings bank.

#4 NOLA GOLD (Record: 4-1; Last Week: #4)

The Gold came pretty close to a loss in Utah this week. One is left with the feeling that their determination, more than anything else, delivered the win. But determination is worth a lot in rugby. NOLA seemed to lack it last year, but have it this year in spades. At least so far.

They have by far the most points in the league at 139 (roughly 28 a game), even after the snowy speed bump. With five bonus points already recorded and a tough portion of schedule managed, they may have the strongest playoff posture through Round 6. With another bye week coming and then Houston and Austin after that, that posture should only improve.

#5 GLENDALE RAPTORS (Record: 2-2-1; Last Week: #5 tie)

Welcome home Glendale! They certainly gave their fans something to cheer about, overmatching the Arrows from kickoff to fulltime. They played smart and efficient rugby and sent the visitors home with Major League Rugby’s first goose egg.

Still, they’re only a .500 team. They host Austin this week, which should put them in positive territory. But a spicy Round 8 visit from San Diego awaits. That will be a real taste of Glendale’s power in Rugby Town, USA.

#6 TORONTO ARROWS (Record: 2-3; Last Week: #5 tie)

Who are the Toronto Arrows? They are a team that hasn’t played at home and a team that has been routinely ransacked by national teams during the Americas Rugby Championship. Beyond that, it’s hard to know. They’re a team that only scratched out a win in Austin, but who nearly scratched one out in Seattle. They’re a Canadian side that narrowly lost in the Louisiana swamp but got completely stonewalled by the snow in Colorado.

It won’t get easier this week when the Arrows fly across the continent to San Diego. But it at least it won’t be snowing. Arrows fans hope it will be the encouraging version of the team that shows up, though some of their key cogs will likely be playing elsewhere on the west coast when Canada plays USA. We may not get another chance to really measure the Arrows until they travel to New York in Round 8.

#7 – UTAH WARRIORS (Record: 1-2-1; Last Week: #7)

One thing going right for Utah is fan turn out. The Utah faithful keep braving the tundra to show up in support of their Warriors. After blowing a big lead that resulted in a draw and surrendering a try at the death to lose, those fans must be frustrated.

Still, Utah has only beaten winless Austin. Though they’ve played well, they’ve yet to show they can make victory into a habit. After Round 1, I compared them to the Seattle of 2018. Good set piece, attacking backs, and a series of near-misses makes them look more like the Houston of 2018. If they can stuff the visiting NY side this weekend, that will reward the sacrifices of the fan base.

#8 – HOUSTON SABERCATS (Record: 1-3; Last Week: #8)

Well, they can’t blame injury anymore. With Sam Windsor, Osea Kolinisau, and Josua Vici all fit, Houston had their big guns. Those big guns still fired blanks on Saturday night.

They weren’t quite full strength, though. They did ship four players to Los Teros for their dramatic upset of the Eagles. Would those four have made a difference? Probably not in the outcome Saturday. But Houston showed enough flashes to hope that, after a few weeks together, they may start to click. After that, who knows if Houston can finally capitalize on its potential.

#9 AUSTIN ELITE RUGBY (Record: 0-5; Last Week: #9)

Please see last week’s rankings.