Four weeks into the Major League Rugby Season, we’re down to one undefeated team. Rugby United New York managed to cool down NOLA Gold, who had been the hottest act in town. Utah Warriors had the chance to keep pace, but fell to a well-rounded performance by the San Diego Legion.

On the other end, Austin Elite Rugby remains winless, dropping a fourth straight home match. And the Seattle Seawolves avoided a crippling 1-3 start, bringing their Seawall defense back just in time to execute a dramatic comeback win at home.

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RUNY returned to action after two bye weeks by notching an impressive win in Louisiana. NOLA had been the hottest team in MLR with three bonus-point wins to start the season. That didn’t phase the Roosters, however, who remained composed despite an early 3-12 deficit. Cathal Marsh was the difference maker, creating opportunities and willing his men back into the match.

They managed to quiet JP Eloff and Tristan Blewett, which no prior opponent had been able to do this year. That allowed RUNY to win despite having the lowest score of all NOLA’s 2019 opposition.

Technical Difficulties

NY won after taking the lead with a penalty goal just shy of 73′. At least, I think that’s how it went down. I don’t know for sure because a power outage at the local Cox station cut out the match feed with 15 minutes left to play. The outage affected every viewing source I’m aware of, including local metropolitan area network SNY.

That is a real disappointment. I know it wasn’t the fault of MLR. And in general, I believe MLR has done a good job of getting their product on television and accessible to the public. As good as can be expected, anyway, and far better than USA Rugby ever seemed to manage. But that notwithstanding, an opportunity was missed.

The match was broadcast to the biggest US market, on a free local channel being shown in most sports bars, and the home town team was pulling off an exciting upset. For the would be fan seeing that as his or her first ever rugby match, it’s the type of thing that creates a fan for life. Instead, having the final 15 minutes dropped is the type of thing that loses fans for life. It just doesn’t happen to more mature sports leagues and people expect better. It wasn’t MLR’s fault, but it was disappointing all the same.

Black and Red Bowl

San Diego Legion handed Utah Warriors their first loss of the season, winning the battle of the similarly colored kits. Even the programming was confused, with the score graphic on the corner of the screen showing colors opposite of what the players on the pitch were wearing.

It was a solid overall performance for the Legion. Paddy Ryan put in another big effort up front and the backline was able to operate effectively every time they managed to get the ball. Between injuries and USA Rugby call-ups, this feels like the first time we’ve seen a full-strength San Diego side. So far so good.

Austin, We Have a Problem

Having lost handily to the Glendale Raptors on Sunday, Austin Elite Rugby begins the season 0-4. With four home losses. They were routed by a Glendale side absent their three big Eagles names. Only late scoring by Austin made the game seem closer than it was.

Anything can happen. But it would be quite a surprise to see Austin competing for a playoff spot. So what do they need to start thinking about?

They need to figure out who their go-to playmakers are going to be and work on getting them the ball. Right now, the offense seems to lack any real direction. Marcelo Torrealba and Rodrigo Silva got some time as half backs this week, and during that time Austin was hanging in the game. Once Silva left with injury, the game fell apart.

Maybe a coincidence. Maybe it was inevitable. But it is typical of this season so for the Elite. They need a few men they trust with the ball to make things happen on their behalf. Last year, it was Timothee Guillimin and Zinzan Elan-Puttick (and now Raptor Hanco Germishuys). This season, Guillimin is struggling and has apparently been consigned to the bench. Elan-Puttick has not been as impactful at the center position as he was from the full back spot last year. Until they find someone to carry that playmaker load and find the right supporting cast to enable it, they are going to continue to struggle.

Seawall Holds

This season has been something of a struggle for Seattle. Coming into Round 4 at 1-2, they hosted the visiting Toronto Arrows. And, down 13 in the middle of the second half, things were looking dark.

Last season, Seattle won their championship on a set-piece and defense basis. This year, the set-piece has been average and the defense erratic. They surrendered 41 points to NOLA last week.

But when it counted, the Seawall, at least, showed up. Down 13, the Seawolves called up a rabid defense that totally changed the tone of the game. Toronto looked like they were about to go on cruise control. Instead, it was suddenly an effort to even retain the ball for a single phase.

Cheered on by the home crowd, Seattle stormed back and took the lead on a Brock Staller penalty goal. But Toronto would get one last chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. They stole the restart and drove up the field, time ticking away. But the Seawall proved true. Toronto knocked-on their final possession and the Seawolves kicked it clear for the win.

Round 4 Results

NOLA 24 – New York 27

San Diego 21 – Utah 10

Austin 13 – Glendale 24

Seattle 35 – Toronto 30

Standings