League: Major League Rugby

Founded in 2017 with it’s inaugural season played in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) is the highest level of professional rugby in North America.

2022 – RD 5: Rugby New York v New England Free Jacks

Rugby New York host their MLR rivals the New England Free Jacks for their Home Opener at JFK Stadium in Hoboken.

The Free Jacks spoiled the show, with fly-half Beaudein Waaka a standout, scoring 23 of New England’s 38pts. This tied the season-record of individual points in a game, with Rugby ATL‘s Joaquin de la Vega Mendia in Round 1.

Many reports record Waaka as scoring a hattrick in this game, but the highlights clearly show John Poland as the man who reaches for the Free Jacks’ second try off the back of a scrum.

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2022 – RD 5: Austin Gilgronis v LA Giltinis

The first ‘Gil-Grudge Match’ of the 2022 Major League Rugby season saw the Austin Gilgronis emerge victorious over their cousins the LA Giltinis to maintain their perfect start to the season, improving to a 5-0 record.

LA Fly-half Luke Burton was injured prior to kick-off and remarkably, Giltinis Assistant Coach Orene Ai’i took his place, 6 years after his last professional match. At 42y, 5m, 10d young, Ai’i became the oldest player to make his MLR debut, as well as the oldest player to play in league history!

Perhaps even more remarkable is that this game featured both the oldest player in MLR history, and the youngest. LA winger Kahanu Koi earned his MLR debut off the bench at 18y, 8m, 15d, becoming the youngest player to ever feature in a MLR game! The oldest player in league history and the youngest, featuring in the same game for the same team.

 

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2022 – RD 5: Rugby ATL v Houston SaberCats

The Houston SaberCats travelled to Georgia to face Rugby ATL at Silverbacks Park in Round 5 of the 2022 Major League Rugby Season.

Despire ATL prevailing 29-22, it was the SaberCats who got on the board almost immediately after scrum-half Dillon Smit intercepted a pass and dotted down just 13 seconds into the game, marking the quickest try in MLR history at the time. ATL hooker Marko Janse van Rensburg recorded a hattrick in a 20minute span in the first half of this game, the first (and ultimately last) hattrick in Rugby ATL club history.

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2022 – RD 5: Utah Warriors v Dallas Jackals

The Utah Warriors host the Dallas Jackals at Zions Bank Stadium in Round 5 of the 2022 Major League Rugby Season.

In front of a home crowd, the Warriors blew away the Jackals 69-22 to set a new MLR scoring record for points by a side in a single game, surpassing the previous record of 64pts set on 2 occasions in 2019. Coincidentally, Utah was on the receiving end of both of these occasions, a 64-31 loss to the Toronto Arrows, and a 64-22 loss to the Colorado Raptors (then the Glendale Raptors).

The 47pt winning margin also tied a league record set by the LA Giltinis in a 52-5 victory over Houston in Round 13 of the 2021 MLR season.

Mika Kruse recorded a hattrick in this game, the 2nd in Utah Warriors club history.

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2022 – RD 4: LA Giltinis v New England Free Jacks

The New England Free Jacks travel across the country to face the LA Giltinis at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in California.

The hosts emerged as 19-15 victors following a hard fought game in which the Free Jacks completed 243 tackles in total. This set a new seaon-high for 2022, and was the 3rd most in MLR history behind two 280-tackle efforts. This is also a new high for the most tackles made in a loss.

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2022 – RD 4: Old Glory DC v Toronto Arrows

The Toronto Arrows travelled down to Washington D.C. to face Old Glory at Segra Field.

The scoreline was onesided, with the visitors taking a 5-29 bonus point victory back across the border. The Flags made 233 successful tackles in this game, a season-high for tackles made as a team at the time. Cory Daniel and Stan South made 29 & 27 tackles respectively, putting them both into the top 10 in league history for tackles made in a single game. On the Arrows side, they gained 1,202m with ball in hand, a club record at the time and MLR season high as well as the 5th highest MGained in league history at the time.

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