MLR WEEK 8 WRAP-UP

Toronto Arrows 21 – 24 Rugby United New York

Rugby United New York used a last-second try from John Quill to defeat the Toronto Arrows 24-21 in the first-ever professional rugby match in the state of New York.

RUNY’s (5-1) Dylan Fawsitt lead all scorers in the match with 10 points on two tries. Toronto (3-4) fly-half led the Arrows in scoring with nine points. The Arrows were one defensive stand away from the victory before Quill picked the ball out of the base of the ruck and placed is under the attempted tackle.

RUNY’s game-winning try doubled as the fourth try of the match, giving New York the victory and the valuable bonus point, leaving them in third place in the league table with 23 points on the season. Toronto picked up a bonus point in the loss. Their 17 points on the season leaves them in sixth place in the table, six points behind the Glendale Raptors for a playoff spot.

RUNY will host the Glendale Raptors (3-2-2) on Saturday while the Arrows will enjoy a week off.

Seattle Seawolves 29 – 17 Austin Elite Rugby

The Seattle Seawolves battled back from an early 14-point deficit on the road to top Austin Elite Rugby 29-17 on Saturday night.

Austin (0-7) used two early tries to put Seattle (5-2) in a hole and took a 17-17 draw into the half. But the Seawolves, just as they have done on several occasions this season, scored twice in the match’s final 20 minutes to come out on top.

The five points that Seattle picked up in the win gives them 25 points on the season pushed them into second place in the league table while Austin remains in ninth place with two points.

Austin will travel to New Orleans to take on the first place Gold (5-1) on Saturday while the Seawolves will enjoy a week off.

NOLA Gold 49 – 11 Houston SaberCats

NOLA Gold used a three-try performance by Tristan Blewitt to knock off the Houston SaberCats 49-11 on Saturday evening.

The 49 points that NOLA (5-1) put up against Houston (1-5) are the most scored by an MLR team this season. Blewitt’s three tries give him six on the season, tying him with John Ryberg of the Glendale Raptors atop the MLR.

NOLA’s big win propelled them into first place in the league table with 26 points on the season. Houston remains in eighth place with six points on the season.

Houston will host the Utah Warriors (1-3-1) for a special Thursday night showdown on March 21 while NOLA will host Austin Elite Rugby on Saturday.

San Diego Legion 28 – 28 Glendale Raptors

Read more about the Legion and the Raptors’ hard-fought draw here.

Written by: Colton Strickler, MLR Correspondent. Photos: Norma Salinas.