Another week, another Glendale Raptors draw. That which had never occurred in Major League Rugby history until a few weeks ago in Utah has now happened twice to the men from Colorado. But Round 8 also featured some firsts. New York City hosted its first MLR game in iconic Coney Island. And we have what must have been the only double red card incident in league history. When the smoke cleared, the top six teams were as close as ever hunting for four playoff spots.

Legion Scrum Their Way to a Draw

After 80 minutes in Glendale on Saturday night, the Raptors were leading by a converted try. It had been a blow-for-blow affair in which Glendale managed to gain the edge. Having been prone to penalties and handling errors in the early season, they cleaned up on both accounts.

San Diego Legion, on the other hand, struggled with discipline. Just as in their surprising loss last week, they just couldn’t seem to get on the referee’s good side. If not for one questionable knock-on call early on that gave the Legion a five-meter scrum, which promptly produced a try, the Legion may have been out of reach by the end.

The scrum bailed out San Diego. In the final minutes, not once but twice Glendale had the chance to ice it. All they needed to do was hold onto a scrum. But Aussie Paddy Ryan and crew would not have it. They drew two scrum penalties, the second of which enabled the equalizer in extra time.

Joe Pietersen was ice cold, completing the tough conversion to get the draw. It must have been a frustrating encounter for both sides. For Glendale, they were so close to an important home win against a potential playoff side. For San Diego, they now haven’t won in the last two rounds, handicapping their run for the top of the table. And we, as viewers, are left unsure of which of these two teams has the better chance at a postseason run.

Roosters Crow in Home Opener

Playing with the backdrop of the Coney Island amusement park, Rugby United New York won their first home game before an energetic, if cold, crowd. Like the Cyclone roller coaster in the distance, it was an up and down experience. Toronto Arrows had played this season as if they were allergic to possession, with the lowest territory percentage in the league. On Friday night, they were able to evolve their approach. They were far less eager to kick the ball away and they largely denied the RUNY backs any ball to work with.

RUNY had to adapt. In their 4-1 start to the season, they had relied on a lot of magic from the backfield. With Cathal Marsh exiting early for the second straight week and the Arrows’ commitment to holding the ball, RUNY needed its forwards to come through.

They did so, crossing the whitewash at the death for the game-winning try. The big men used the maul effectively all evening and finally capitalized on a long goal line attack with the winning John Quill touch down.

It was an exciting evening for the first time home crowd, and the players seemed to feel it too. In the final post-match picture, you can see them embracing their unofficial rooster nickname with thumbs planted into foreheads and fingers extended with a mock rooster signal.

Toronto, however, also likely left New York pretty pleased. Though they lost, they played extremely competitively for 80 minutes. Their defense was robust, their tactical approach was sound. Even without a win in the standings, they looked like a far more dangerous team than they’d been able to show during the Americas Rugby Championship. As their internationals fully reintegrate in time for an eight-game homestand to end the season, look out for a significant run in the standings.

Seawolves Win in Round Rock

For the second straight week, the Seattle Seawolves beat one of the Texas sides. For the second straight week, however, it didn’t come easy. Austin, in fact, jumped out quickly to a two-try advantage. Like the SaberCats before them, they out hustled and out worked Seattle around the breakdown. They seemed to take a page from Houston’s playbook, challenging them at the point of contact and putting them on the back foot early.

And, like against Houston, the game slowly turned Seattle’s way. They had the advantage in the scrum and over time the Austin Elite weakened, allowing Seattle to find their way to a comfortable final score.

But things may not be comfortable in Seattle for long. Having struggled against the two weakest teams in the league two weeks in a row, their own weakness may be exposed. It looks like they can be bullied in contact and taken off their game. They may have been able to overcome that against the one-combined-win Texan teams, but if a stronger side replicates that approach they may be in trouble.

Endangered SaberCats

Suffice it to say, Houston didn’t give the NOLA Gold much trouble. It was already a blowout in the 70th minute when all hell broke loose. Tristan Blewitt added to his case for MVP, recording a hat trick. The bayou bombers had scored 35 and engendered some hostility by the time Josua Vici leveled Holden Yungert.

What ensued was hard to follow. Two separate scuffles broke out with minimal camera angles. But when all was said and done, Vici was shown red. That seemed fair enough, given the cynical nature of the hit. Harder to judge was the simultaneous red shown to Osea Kolinisau. He was charged with choking a player in the scuffle. That wasn’t readily evident in the replay, and he appealed to the referee that his behavior was in response to a NOLA player choking someone first. How it all plays out could be crucial for Houston.

With only one win, the season looks all but lost already. If Vici and Kolinisau, two of the league’s best attackers, face a suspension of any length, that would almost surely put any hopes of a 2019 run to the sword. NOLA, on the other hand, is sitting comfortably on top of the table with a cushion of bonus points. If the citation officials review the play and can find the alleged NOLA choker, a suspension could conceivably head their way. That would also be crucial, given how tight the standings are at the top.

Round 8 Results

New York 24 – Toronto 21

Seattle 29 – Austin 17

Houston 11 – New Orleans 49

Glendale 28 – San Diego 28

Standings