This past weekend, San Diego Legion traveled to New Orleans, LA for the fourth game of the 2020 Major League Rugby season against NOLA Gold. Although the team spent no time on Bourbon Street celebrating Mardi Gras, they found themselves celebrating a BIG win at Gold Mine on Airline Stadium. After a hard-fought 80 minutes, Legion was victorious for the fourth week in a row.
NOLA was first on the board with a maul drive-off from a 5-meter lineout. A few minutes later, Legion answered back with a try from Man of the Match Ma’a Nonu, which was converted by Luke Burton. The rest of the first half saw two more tries from NOLA and an unconverted try from Legion, courtesy of Keni Nasoqeqe.
Coming into the second half, NOLA was up 9 points and ready for more, yet found themselves on their back foot. At the start of the second half, both teams were scoreless and hungry; multiple scrums, penalties, and defensive stops led to frustrations. Finally, after a try in between the posts by Nonu, Legion was within three points with less than 20 minutes left to play.
The Legion scrum dominated the entire game, specifically at the end when the forwards drew two penalties. This gave Joe Pietersen a chance to successfully kick for points twice, giving Legion a 4-point lead. The Legion defense, also known by fans ‘Big Red Wall,’ was able to stop NOLA from scoring in the final minutes. The referee blew the final whistle at minute-85 and Legion held onto their undefeated record, staying top of the table for another week.
Man of the Match, named by NOLA Gold: Ma’a Nonu
Final score: 25-21 SD