Rugby United New York defeated Austin Elite Rugby 27-5 on Sunday, May 19 at 1 pm. They picked up a bonus point and moved into fourth place with a 10-4 record and 49 points in the Major League Rugby standings.
Rugby United New York plays NOLA Gold on May 26 at home in a key match in their quest for the playoffs. A win likely propels the team to a showdown in Toronto on June 2 for the final playoff spot.
Austin Elite Rugby has had a difficult season with injuries and is winless on the season. They played hard and made RUNY work for their scores and never let up and emerged with a late match try by Andrew Suniula. They finish the season away against Houston on May 25 and on June 1 in Seattle.
Prior to the match, was a women’s rugby match between the New York Rugby Club and the Brooklyn Rugby Club.
Match Recap
Rugby United New York had a 10-0 lead at the break and went on to beat Austin Elite Rugby 27-7. In doing so, the team’s record improved to 10-4 and theygained a valuable bonus point, which moved the team into fourth place in the MLR standings.
The team will face two playoff contenders in NOLA Gold at home on May 26 and conclude their regular season in Toronto on June 2.
Austin Elite Rugby remains a team that seeks its first win. They will have two more opportunities away on May 25 against Houston and on June 1 against Seattle.
First Half
Rugby United New York scored first after a lineout 5-meters from in-goal. The team mauled then swung the ball out wide with Luke Hume scoring in the right corner for a 5-0 lead. There was a strong wind all day, which impacted both kicking and lineout throws.
The Roosters lost a scoring opportunity from another lineout 5-meters out after a knock on turned the ball over. Soon after, the team extended their lead to 10-0 with a try by Mike St. Claire.
Second Half
In the 46th minute, the Butcher, Dylan Fawsitt, scored from a lineout 5-meters from in-goal to push the lead to 15-0 and they extended the lead to 20-0 from a try by Connor Wallace-Sims in the 66th minute to gain a bonus point.
Austin Elite Rugby ended the shutout in the 74th minute with a try by Andrew Suniula, which Zinzan Elan-Luttick converted to cut the lead to 20-7. The Roosters answered back with a try in the 81st minute by Mke Petri, which was converted by Wallace-Sims for the 27-7 win.
Comments
The Austin Elite Rugby defense made RUNY work to go over the gain line. The Roosters had an edge in possession, as well as in the set pieces. The Rosters scored from lineouts from close range. Credit the RUNY defense is also thwarting several Austin Elite Rugby attacks from short range.
The location of MCU Park also has an impact on matches when the wind off the ocean is strong. This affects tactical decisions on whether to go for penalty kicks versus kicking for territory and attempting to score tries. It also impacts lineout throws.
Don’t miss the final home match of the regular season next Sunday, May 26 as RUNY hosts second-place NOLA Gold at 1 pm at MCU Park. Preceding the match will be a Rugby United New York U20 Academy match. The Roosters edged NOLA Gold in the first meeting, but playoffs are at stake in the second meeting.
Austin Elite Rugby was edged 21-20 in the rain against the Houston SaberCats earlier in the season. They travel to AVEVA Stadium to face Houston, who beat NOLA Gold on May 18. The battle between Texas teams should also be viewed.
Squads with Player Article Links & Preview
There were several late changes in the announced rosters. Quentin Pradere replaced Marcus Walsh at 21 for RUNY. Austin Elite Rugby had three changes with Ben Mitchell at flanker and Andrew Suniula at inside center. Sunao Takizawa made his MLR and team debut as a reserve.
Rugby United New York: 1 Anthony Parry 2 Sean McNulty 3 James Rochford 4 Alex MacDonald 5 Nate Brakeley 6 John Quill 7 Matt Hughston 8 Dylan Fawsitt 9 Mike Petri (C) 10 Harry Bennett 11 Connor Wallace-Sims 12 Will Leonard 13 Mark O’Keeffe 14 Mike St. Claire 15 Luke Hume 16 Callum Mackintosh 17 Chance Wenglewski 18 Chris Sullivan 19 Matt Wirken 20 Kyle Sumsion 21 Ben Foden 22 Quentin Pradere 23 Marcus Satavu + Head Coach Mike Tolkin
Austin Elite Rugby: 1 LaRome White 2 Peter Malcolm 3 Mason Pedersen 4 Ronan McCusker 5 Josh Larsen 6 Ben Mitchell (C) 7 Dominique Bailey 8 Rikus Zwart 9 Rodrigo Sliva 10 Juan Pablo “JP’ Aguirre 11 Sione Fangaiuiha 12 Andrew Suniula 13 Simon Bienvenu 14 Reece Czarnecki 15 Zinzan Elan-Puttick (VC) 16 Tiaan Strauss Erasmus 17 Juan Echeverria18 Sunao Takizawa19 Kyle Breytenbach 20 Travis Larsen 21 Moe Abdelmonem 22 Aidan McMullan 23 Soheyl Jaoudat + Head Coach Alain Hyardet
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