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ALT LAKE CITY (May 6, 2018) – The Austin Elite was named Major League Rugby Team of the Week the league announced today. In their third week of regular season match play, Austin Elite Rugby notched their first win in a 30-17 victory over the NOLA Gold on Thursday evening.
Austin (1-2), picked up a bonus point for scoring four tries in a match they only trailed in once en route to a win over NOLA (1-1). NOLA, coming off a Week 2 bye, took a good portion of the first half to shake off the cobwebs. Austin made them pay early by picking up points when they could.
Faced with an 11-point deficit and running out of time in the first half, the Gold began to chip away at the lead with a penalty kick. In the second half, NOLA picked up the scoring pace surpassing Austin at one point with a 17-16 lead.
However, Austin put an end to what became a back-and-forth match when NOLA fly-half Taylor Howden tried to make something out of space he spotted behind Austin’s backline with a chip over the top, fullback Ned Hodson snatched the ball and took it the other way for his second try of the match. Fly-half Timothee Guillimin put the game on ice with his conversion, making it 30-17, and Austin picked up its first win of the season.
San Diego Legion’s Antony Salaber earned Player of the Week honors. San Diego Head Coach Rob Hadley credited Salaber’s hat-trick earning performance as the ultimate winning difference this weekend between San Diego and the Houston SaberCats in a close 35-32 match.
MLR also announced the First XV:
1. Loosehead Prop, Jake Turnbull, Houston SaberCats
2. Hooker, Pat Blair, San Diego Legion
3. Tighthead Prop, Angus MacLellan, Utah Warriors
4. Left Lock, Ben Mitchell, Austin Elite
5. Right Lock, Albert Harmon, San Diego Legion
6. Blindside Flanker, John Sullivan, NOLA Gold
7. Openside Flanker, Hanco Germishuys, Austin Elite
8. No 8., Cam Dolan, San Diego Legion
9. Scrum-half, Connor Murphy, Houston SaberCats
10. Fly-half, Sam Windsor, Houston SaberCats
11. Blindside Wing, Ryan Matyas, San Diego Legion
12. Inside Center, Bryce Campbell, Glendale Raptors
13. Outside Center, Roland Suniula, Austin Elite
14. Openside Wing, Harley Davidson, Glendale Raptors
15. Fullback, Dylan Audsley, San Diego Legion
For more news and notes from Week 3, visit usmlr.com.
2018 MLR Weekly Honors
Week 1
Team of the Week: Seattle Seawolves
Player of the Week: Phil Mack
Week 2
Team of the Week: San Diego Legion
Player of the Week: Zach Fenoglio
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About MLR
MLR is a professional rugby league that launched in April of 2018. It’s an initiative of the American rugby community, in partnership with private investors, who believe that American rugby can thrive at the highest levels: as a commercial enterprise; as an influential player on the international scene; and as a participation sport at the youth and senior level. MLR is the pinnacle of the American rugby, and provides a rallying point for local communities, a focal point for American rugby fans, and an aspirational destination for young athletes.