Can’t believe we’re already at the half way point of Major League Rugby 2019. Seems like Round 1 was only yesterday. But here we are, about to start Round 11 in a 19-round season. As such, it is right and proper that we should look back and take account of the year to date.

MLR 2019 vs MLR 2018

Last year, MLR was fun to watch. The games were exciting. They were back and forth. They were high scoring. The rugby quality was… not the greatest.

In just a year’s time, the overall quality of the game has taken a noticeable step up. Maybe a few steps. The shapes and structures are being executed sharply. The handling errors and mental errors have been vastly reduced. Set piece play has improved. These teams are simply better.

One perhaps negative side effect of that, however, is a decrease in the unpredictability. I suppose logic would have suggested that teams playing more systematically and less error-prone are going to have fewer huge comebacks and game shifts. Last year, it seemed like every week a team went down two or three tries and then came roaring back. It made for an entertaining spectacle, but it required a certain looseness of play to accommodate. MLR’s second year has tightened the screws, and for all its benefits, the wild back-and-forth is far less frequent than it was last year.

Best New Signing of the First Half

With a still young league and an increase in the foreigner cap, MLR 2019 has brought in a long list of new signings. Which of those has been the biggest contributor through the first half of the season?

Winner: Tristan Blewett, NOLA Gold

Blewett has stormed onto the MLR scene, one of the faces of NOLA’s dominant stretch to open the season. He’s played across the backline and has managed to deliver explosive attacking runs from everywhere he’s played. He is now the record holder for most meters gained in a game, which he set in NOLA’s rout of Houston SaberCats in Round 8. His partnership with JP Eloff has been the most potent and consistent offensive weapon this year.

Honorable mention: Paddy Ryan, San Diego Legion; Cathal Marsh, Rugby United New York; Dan Moor, Toronto Arrows; Ben Foden, RUNY

Biggest Transfer of the First Half

Even in a young league with minimal personnel moves, there were a decent number of team transfers and loaner returns after the first season. Which has been most impactful?

Winner: Dylan Fawsitt, RUNY

Fawsitt, who returns from a season with the Glendale Raptors, has been a key to the Roosters’ expansion campaign. He is an impact player in every aspect of the game, including leadership. As the focus of the RUNY maul, he leads what is probably the best attacking set piece in MLR. He’s been a busy and consistently successful defender and an efficient ball carrier.

Honorable mention: Hanco Germishuys, Glendale; Cam Dolan, NOLA; Ben Cima, Seattle Seawolves

Most Improved of First Half

Not all of the improvement in MLR 2019 came from new signings. The players are improving across the board. Which player has shown the biggest jump since last year?

Winner: JP Eloff, NOLA Gold

To call JP Eloff “improved” is maybe a bit unfair. The young man suffered from nothing less than chemical meningitis during MLR 2018, and even when he returned to play was probably less than 100%.

But he’s back and he seems to be at his peak in MLR 2019. His ability to insert into the attack at the best possible time and at the best possible angle has enabled the Gold’s prolific offense to rack up the bonus points keeping them in first place.

Honorable mention: Ben Cima, Seattle Seawolves; Nathan Sylvia, San Diego; Holden Yungert, NOLA

MVP of First Half

What player has been the biggest contributor to success in the first half of the season?

Winner: Joe Pietersen, San Diego Legion

Pietersen actually appeared in San Diego’s playoff game last year and was an immediate impact player. But that impact pales in comparison to the impact he’s made this year as the team’s fly half. He is a pure playmaker, always right where he needs to be and doing just what his team needs. When the Legion needs a tactical kick, he delivers it. When they need a line break, he orchestrates it. And when they need a tackle, he produces it. No one is more central to his team’s success.

Honorable mention: Tristan Blewett, NOLA Gold; Dylan Fawsitt, RUNY; JP Eloff, NOLA

Best Match of the First Half

It has been an entertaining start to the 2019 campaign! Which fixture stands out as the most entertaining and skilled contest?

Glendale 34 – NOLA 33

Have to give this one to Round 10’s very own barn burner. A two-try comeback in the final 10 minutes scuttled by a penalty goal at the death. High quality rugby from start to finish. Tell me a better fixture, I’ll wait.

Honorable mention: NOLA 24 – RUNY 27

Other First Half Awards

Best Scrum: San Diego Legion

Best Lineout/Maul: RUNY

Best Attack: NOLA Gold

Best Defense: San Diego Legion

Toughest Home Team: Glendale Raptors

Toughest Road Team: RUNY

Playoff Predictions

Only four teams make it. The rest start working towards 2019. Who will make the final four?

RUNY, NOLA, SAN DIEGO, TORONTO

With a predominantly home stretch remaining and the best record in MLR, New York is in a strong playoff position. Likewise NOLA, who dropped one game off New York’s pace but is saddled with bonus points. San Diego drew with Glendale in Colorado and just topped Seattle in Washington, so they’ve attempted to set themselves apart from the pack in the last few weeks. You know who they did not beat? Toronto, when they came to town. At 4-4, Toronto has the worst record of this bunch. But with their full team back in play and eight home games on the bounce to finish out, I think they claw their way in.

First team out: GLENDALE