Major League Rugby

[Puja]

That's a pretty useful try!

Just finished watching Seattle vs RUNY - the Seawolves crowd are something else entirely. Noisy, boisterous, and they give a concerted roar when they get a decision that matches anything I've heard in Europe. They deserved the victory today just for the quality of their support. I'm hoping RUNY get a crowd like that when they open up at home.

I can also report that Foden still looks like a full-back standing lost at 13. Also, today a regular 13 was playing full-back, so it's definitely a selectorial decision. Just a really bad one.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

So, Foden played 15 last weekend. According to Tolkin, he was signed as a 15 but the guy lined up to play 13 was hit with by injury so Foden was pressed into service at OC.

[Puja]

So, Foden played 15 last weekend. According to Tolkin, he was signed as a 15 but the guy lined up to play 13 was hit with by injury so Foden was pressed into service at OC.

Which explains why Mattina is now playing 13, despite having played 15 when Foden was 13? Not sure I buy that.

Still, he's been 15 the last couple of weeks and has looked much better for it.

RUNY are on a bit of a roll now with 4 wins from 5 road games. It's the big one this weekend - first home game and first chance to see if the marketing department have been earning their bread. I'm really hoping there's a big crowd - MLR needs another Seattle-level club with a big fanbase to give it greater credibility, as the games played in Texas and New Orleans have all been a long way sub-2k.

When are you heading over Mells?

Puja

[Mellsblue]

So, Foden played 15 last weekend. According to Tolkin, he was signed as a 15 but the guy lined up to play 13 was hit with by injury so Foden was pressed into service at OC.

Which explains why Mattina is now playing 13, despite having played 15 when Foden was 13? Not sure I buy that.

Still, he's been 15 the last couple of weeks and has looked much better for it.

RUNY are on a bit of a roll now with 4 wins from 5 road games. It's the big one this weekend - first home game and first chance to see if the marketing department have been earning their bread. I'm really hoping there's a big crowd - MLR needs another Seattle-level club with a big fanbase to give it greater credibility, as the games played in Texas and New Orleans have all been a long way sub-2k.

When are you heading over Mells?

Puja

I think they might be trying to find Mattina’s position after him coming across from Sevens. He’s played wing, 15 and 13 in five games! Also, I think the squad is actually fairly thin and they’re covering as best they can.

Tickets booked for RUNY v Glendale on the 24th. Tickets on the halfway line for $45. Bargain. Certainly cheaper than the Knicks game on the Friday night. Might have something to do with the laws of supply and demand!

[Mellsblue]

Pro rugby makes its debut in NY today and here is the team:

[Puja]

RUNY win 24-21 with a last minute converted try to take the win. As far as advertisements for the game go, that wasn't a bad one!

Puja

[Mellsblue]

I saw that and cursed my mother for having the temerity to go on holiday without checking that it didn’t interfere with my rugby watching/drinking schedule. Let’s hope next week is just as exciting and also ends up with a home win.

[Mellsblue]

The owner reckons 3000ish crowd:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... ssion=true

[Puja]

The owner reckons 3000ish crowd:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... ssion=true

He's being a bit overenthused - it was more like 2k, but still pretty good for a first game. Does raise the question as to why it was on a Friday night though if he thinks he'll get double for a weekend day.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Decent crowd at MCU Park, lots of sun and lots of running rugby. There are some serious athletes on both sides.

[Puja]

Decent crowd at MCU Park, lots of sun and lots of running rugby. There are some serious athletes on both sides.

Looked like about 2k again from the video and certainly noisy (ETA: 2,703 is the official "tickets issued" attendance, although I don't think that's the number who actually rocked up). Good game to watch - hopefully they're drawing in a few new fans with this kind of form.

What was the stadium like to watch the game in? It doesn't look that bad for rugby, considering it's a baseball stadium.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Decent crowd at MCU Park, lots of sun and lots of running rugby. There are some serious athletes on both sides.

Looked like about 2k again from the video and certainly noisy (ETA: 2,703 is the official "tickets issued" attendance, although I don't think that's the number who actually rocked up). Good game to watch - hopefully they're drawing in a few new fans with this kind of form.

What was the stadium like to watch the game in? It doesn't look that bad for rugby, considering it's a baseball stadium.

Puja

Nice little stadium but it’s miles away from anywhere. Literally the last stop on the Trainline. There are a few issues as you’d expect, eg the stand doesn’t run parallel with the touch line, but it’s a nice place to watch rugby.

There were loads of new to rugby spectators. All around us there were people explaining the laws to their mates.

[Mellsblue]

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/scot ... d-glory-dc’

[Mellsblue]

2020 structure already sorted:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/1p_1c_MNqko

[Puja]

2020 structure already sorted:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/1p_1c_MNqko

Text for if you don't want to watch the video: https://www.usmlr.com/news/major-league ... expansion/

Makes a lot of sense, although it does have the downside of separating New Orleans out from the Texas teams. I guess the US is too big to have huge amounts of away supporters at the best of times, but it's awkward to be separating some of the geographically closest teams.

It'll make expansion interesting though - they'd either have to have 2 on the east and shove NOLA across or balance out one each side - they couldn't have two western sides without a major reshuffle. Considering Dallas is heavily rumoured for 2021, that would mean no Vancouver, Sacramento, or LA unless there was an equally big eastern expansion. Or alternately I guess they could split into three conferences of 5 and have Austin, Dallas, Houston, NOLA and Atlanta in a South conference.

On another note, Toronto had their first home game and sold out Alumni Field, which is 3,081. They'll be moving into Lamport in 3 games' time, which is 10k capacity and where the Wolfpack play, and that'll be a good gauge of where they are. Wolfpack get 7k, but half of those are usually comps, so it's hard to tell what their actual audience is.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Thretton Palamo signs for Houston.

[Puja]

Thretton Palamo signs for Houston.

Good signing if he can stay fit. Houston are moving into their new stadium for the first game this weekend - the weather delayed its construction and they've been suffering in a baseball stadium with meagre crowds so far this year. I've got a bit of a soft spot for Houston, so it'd be good to see them doing better - hopefully the new stadium will kickstart that.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports ... o-17210907

Puja

[Puja]

Steve Lansdown looking at the option of an MLR franchise to start the Bristol Bears world empire: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/rug ... on-2810574

Puja

[Mellsblue]

There’s a man who is both loaded and patient.

[Mellsblue]

Houston sack their DoR.

[Puja]

Houston sack their DoR.

That has been coming for a very long time. They have been incredibly patient - going from one of the fancied teams before season 1 to finishing bottom with one win, and then backing that up with only being second bottom this year because Austin are so crap. Frankly I've been amazed they haven't looked at changes before now.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Houston sack their DoR.

That has been coming for a very long time. They have been incredibly patient - going from one of the fancied teams before season 1 to finishing bottom with one win, and then backing that up with only being second bottom this year because Austin are so crap. Frankly I've been amazed they haven't looked at changes before now.

Puja

By the sounds of it, he was a bit of a local rugby institution and was central to the teams inception. That may have bought him longer than results deserved.

[Puja]

Houston sack their DoR.

That has been coming for a very long time. They have been incredibly patient - going from one of the fancied teams before season 1 to finishing bottom with one win, and then backing that up with only being second bottom this year because Austin are so crap. Frankly I've been amazed they haven't looked at changes before now.

Puja

By the sounds of it, he was a bit of a local rugby institution and was central to the teams inception. That may have bought him longer than results deserved.

The same's happening in Utah atm - their coach was involved in the university teams, in all the representative teams, and was such a massive part of the amateur rugby scene that everyone's tiptoeing around the subject that his team are massively underperforming, showing the same issues over and over without signs of addressing it and that, maybe, just maybe, he might not have the chops to compete at the professional level.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

[Mellsblue]

One round left to go and it’s squeaky bum time: