MLR WEEK 16 WRAP-UP

Austin Elite Rugby 13 – 24 Toronto Arrows

The Toronto Arrows defeated Austin Elite Rugby 24-13 to pick up their second victory in five days on Thursday afternoon.

Toronto’s (8-5) victory over Austin (0-12) was their fourth in a row. The match was originally scheduled to be played back on April 18 but had to be moved to Thursday night as storms in Texas prevented Austin from travelling. They’ll have a chance to extend that win streak to five when they welcome the Utah Warriors to town for their third match in eight days.

Austin held a 6-0 lead early on two Andres Vilaseca penalty goals, but the Arrows answered back with tries. Andrew Ferguson, Leandro Leivas, Rob Brouwer, and Kainoa Lloyd all scored tries for the Arrows while Simon Bienvenu scored Austin’s lone try. Ferguson scored the first try of the match and hit two of his four conversion attempts to lead all scorers in the match with nine points.

The five points that the Arrows picked up in the victory keeps them alive in their pursuit for a playoff spot. The win gives them 43 points on the season and moves them into third place in the table ahead of the rest of the Week 16 action. Austin didn’t pick up any points in the loss and remain in ninth place with four points on the season.

Toronto will have a chance to extend their win streak to five matches when they welcome the Utah Warriors (2-9-1) to town on Sunday, May 12 for their third match in eight days. Austin will enjoy 10 days off before traveling to Brooklyn to take on Rugby United New York (9-3) on Sunday, May 19.

Seattle Seawolves 38 – 31 Rugby United New York

The Seattle Seawolves defeated Rugby United New York 38-31 at MCU Park on Saturday evening.

Despite a furious comeback attempt by RUNY (9-4), it was the Seawolves (9-4) that weathered the storm and emerged with the win. Each team scored five tries in the match, but it was Seawolves’ wing and Major League Rugby’s leading scorer Brock Staller’s accuracy in the kicking game that was ultimately the difference in the match. Staller nailed all five of his conversion attempts and hit his lone penalty goal to lead all scorers in the match with 13 points.

The Seawolves picked up five valuable points in the victory to move into the fourth and final playoff spot with 46 total points on the season. RUNY picked up two points in the loss and find themselves in fifth place, right on the Seawolves heels, with 44 total points.

Seattle will travel to Glendale to take on the Raptors (7-4-2) on Saturday, May 18 in a match that carries with it significant playoff implications. RUNY will look to get back into the win column against Austin Elite Rugby (0-13) back at home on Sunday, May 19.

Utah Warriors 21 – 28 Toronto Arrows

The Toronto Arrows defeated the Utah Warriors 28-21 on a rainy day in Canada on Sunday afternoon.

The Arrows (9-5) used two second-half tries to thwart the Warriors’ (2-10-1) attempt at a comeback. The Arrows received tries from Morgan Mitchell, John Sheridan, and Spencer Jones in addition to forcing the Warriors into a penalty try en route to their third win in eight days and their fifth win in a row. Utah’s Tim O’Malley led all scorers in the match with 11 total points.

The five points that the Arrows picked up in the victory leaves them in third place with 48 total points in the table with two matches to play. They sit just three points behind the second place NOLA Gold and four points behind the first place San Diego Legion. The Warriors picked up a bonus point in the loss. They sit in seventh place with 17 total points on the season.

Utah will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, May 18 when they host the first place San Diego Legion (10-3-1) while Toronto will enjoy a week off.

Glendale Raptors – Houston SaberCats POSTPONED

Saturday’s match between the Glendale Raptors match and the Houston SaberCats was postponed as a result of poor weather. The match has been rescheduled to take place on Wednesday, May 29 at the AVEVA Stadium at 8:30 PM EST.

San Diego Legion 26 – 19 NOLA Gold

Read more about the San Diego Legion’s 26-19 victory over NOLA Gold here.