The King is Dead, Long Live the King

For the Seawolves to win the 2018 MLR championship, they had to beat San Diego twice. In the first game of the season, the Seawolves made an example of the Legion at home. Eighty minutes of forward dominance later, the Seawolves were 1-0 and on the map. Fast forward to the semifinals. This time, playing on neutral Glendale territory. Despite a quick San Diego start, the Seawolves once again made tidy work of the Legion, advancing to the finals.

Well, this is a new, upgraded Legion. The work they put in to build out their forwards has shone bright over two weeks. Even in the muddy slog that was Saturday’s win over Seattle. It was an ugly match throughout, splishing and splashing in the downpour. But San Diego was in control from the beginning. Even when talented fly half Joe Pietersen left with injury, they kept rolling seamlessly.

Making maters worse for Seattle, star Vili Toluta’u had to be carted off the field with an air cast on his leg. We hope his big hair and big smile can return to action soon.

All is not lost, of course. It’s just one match. A road match in apocalyptic weather, to boot. Seattle is still the defending champion and still the team to beat in the league right now. But, at least for a week, the king is dead.

Weather ‘Tis Nobler

Speaking of apocalyptic weather, this is the second week in a row that a match was hammered by heavy rain. Occurring in the first two weeks of the season, that makes the impact especially hard to discern. Last week, it was Austin and Houston that were singing in the rain. This week, it was the reputationally gorgeous San Diego.

Last year, the weather played a factor. A big factor. But in 2018 it was the heat, not the rain, that got a vote in the outcomes. Well it’s only February. The heat will come. But for now, we’re left to consider what these rain-soaked pitches have meant for Rounds 1 and 2 of MLR 2019.

One thing is certain. All four teams subject to the rains played with unflinching determination. The games were ugly, crazy, poor representations of rugby union football. But they were also inspiring. If you are trying to learn the game, don’t use these as examples. If you are learning to love it, these were perfect.

Bayou Bombers

NOLA has won back-to-back matches to start the 2019 season and they sit on top of the table with a maximum available 10 points. They beat Glendale, who start the season 0-2 after beginning last year 7-0.

Both sides were missing critical pieces. Shaun Davies, Will Magie, and Hanco Germishuys were all on Eagle duty for the Raptors. Cam Dolan and Kyle Ballie were similarly away for the ARC (Ballie with Canada).

The Raptors are facing adversity of their own making in the early season. After an error-prone Round 1, it was more of the same. They were tripped up quickly with ill-discipline, conceding several penalties in the opening minutes. NOLA opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a penalty goal. Not a minute later, following the restart, Glendale was penalized again. Then, two minutes later, their first knock-on.

Taylor Howden, last year’s NOLA captain, who was starting after being a reserve in Round 1, took the ensuing scrum and blew through the Glendale defense. It was 10-0 in the first 10 minutes.

Glendale would fight back, finally closing on a scoring chance after aborting a few with errors. But in the end, they couldn’t keep pace with the Gold’s high-powered attack. Winger Tristan Blewett put in another massive shift. He looks like he’s playing at a different speed. Scott Gale and Holden Youngert are creating opportunities. They even mauled their way straight through Glendale for their second try. Even with Cam Dolan missing, everything was clicking.

The one lingering issue remains the Gold defense. Though off to a hot start, they have conceded 31 points in both games. Excluding their own opponents, who necessarily surrendered more points in NOLA’s two wins, no other team has conceded more than 25.

But if they’re going to score 35-40 every week, I guess that’s okay.

Ultimate Warriors

In 2018, there was a team that entered the year after a preseason of deafening silence. Not much was thought of them. Then, in their first fixture, they packed down and railroaded their opponents. The power of their forward pack overwhelmed their unsuspecting foes. That team was the Seattle Seawolves. They would go on to win the inaugural MLR championship.

Well, in 2019, the Utah Warriors were likewise quiet. And, likewise, they booted up and their forward pack took it to their unsuspecting first opponent. Austin Elite Rugby was the unfortunate victims this time. They played with heart and perseverance. They have no reason to hang their heads.

But Utah’s power was plain to see. Whatever strength and fitness they’ve been working on has paid off. Their new players look talented.

Let’s avoid overreaction theater. It’s only one match. And Austin is probably not as strong this season as San Diego was last season. This may not be the marker that Seattle’s Round 1 win in 2018 turned out to be. But then again, it may.

A Separate Set-Piece

It’s something of a conventional wisdom in rugby that the set-piece is critical for success. But if conventional wisdom needed a demonstration case, these two rounds could ably serve. Bad weather does usually enhance the importance of the set-piece, and we’ve had our share of that. Nevertheless, the teams that have won the set-piece battle have gained a visible advantage.

Teams learned after last year that they needed a better scrum to fight with the Seawolves. They spent the offseason getting it. Scrummaging is better across the board.

Lineouts are another story. What is going on with the lineouts? It feels like the throwing team is as likely to lose it as win it. Maybe more likely.

The MLR has broadly enhanced its scrum skills to level the pitch with Seattle. After two weeks, it looks like those efforts may pay off. If someone were to crack the code on the lineout, they’d really position themselves well for a playoff run.

Round 2 Results

Austin 9 – Utah 17

NOLA 40 – Glendale 31

San Diego 17 – Seattle 13

Standings