Major League Rugby: Five takeaways as Antoine Dupont move ‘invaluable’ to US longer term while ex-Highlanders star helps Old Glory to perfect week
Antoine Dupont has joined Rugby Football Club Los Angeles' ownership group while Jason Emery and Old Glory DC won. (Image credit Laura Stroud)
There are now just three more weekends until the Major League Rugby (MLR) regular season is over.
In Week 14 there was drama from start to finish, with surprise wins for Rugby Football Club Los Angeles, Miami Sharks and Seattle Seawolves throwing things up in the air dramatically.
But along with the action on the pitch, there has even been some developments off it as a major name has joined an MLR team’s ownership panel.
Dupont joins Los Angeles ownership group
On Thursday night Rugby Football Club Los Angeles announced that 2021 World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year, Antoine Dupont, had joined the team’s ownership group.
It is a major boon for the second-year team, who became the first MLR side to take on Super Rugby opposition earlier this year and lost out 33-26 to Fijian Drua in Lautoka.
Dupont, who is currently recovering from an ACL injury sustained in this year’s Six Nations, joins All Blacks and NFL legends Ma’a Nonu, Marshawn Lynch and Nate Ebner in adding a minority stake in an MLR team to their portfolio.
At the end of this year’s Six Nations, Dupont was snapped wearing an RFCLA cap at the Stade de France, with the 28-year-old now looking to guide the Western Conference side from afar in the years to come.
“We feel very privileged that Antoine has chosen RFCLA as the pathway to inspire new rugby players and fans and to join us in growing a global rugby brand,” Pete Sickle, RFCLA’s CEO, said.
“He is as dedicated to expanding the rugby community as he is to compete on the pitch and his vision for integrating the athleticism and core values of rugby will prove invaluable to building a bright future for rugby in LA and throughout the US.”
Old Glory bag two wins in a week
Two games in the space of five days have resulted in 10 points for Old Glory DC.
Those results now have Simon Cross’ team second in the Eastern Conference and really boosted their odds of making the playoffs this June.
First up for the team was a 27-14 win against the NOLA Gold on home soil and Sunday night saw them score seven tries against Anthem RC on the road.
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As a result, the side that boasts ex-Highlanders star Jason Emery have now won three matches and added 15 points to their overall tally.
Such impressive late season form could well catapult them to postseason success, and with clashes against the New England Free Jacks, Rugby FCLA and San Diego Legion to come, it could be invaluable.
Houston victorious in top of the Western Conference clash
To move four points clear at the top of the Western Conference, the Houston SaberCats blew the Utah Warriors away with a 41-19 win in Texas.
A clash of the two closest rivals at the top of their division, Pote Human’s team survived an Ezekiel Lindenmuth red card and were dominant from start to finish.
Juan-Dee Oliver astonishingly crossed the try-line with just a minute on the clock and had a brace before the halfway point, as did young hooker Seth Smith.
In the second half a Tautalatasi Tasi try, and a pair of AJ Alatimu penalties put the contest beyond any doubt, while a penalty try and scores for Frank Lochore and Joel Hodgson accounted for Utah’s points.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference, the San Diego Legion lost out to the Seattle Seawolves 29-25 as a late OJ Noa try secured the two-time champions a much-needed win.
Miami shock New England in Florida
Just to make things all the more difficult to predict in the weeks to come, the Miami Sharks stunned the New England Free Jacks 30-19.
From the first minute the hosts were on top of the back-to-back champions. Early on a Shane O’Leary penalty and Marcos Young made inroads for the Sharks, who have now moved seven points clear of the Eastern Conference’s fifth-place side, the NOLA Gold.
Before the final whistle was blown, O’Leary, Giuseppe du Toit and Matias Orlando had secured a try bonus point and victory for Jose Pellecina.
With the end of the regular season in sight, New England can only hope that this result was a glitch, and the Sharks can take great confidence from a statement win.
Franco’s the man as LA beat Chicago
A Franco van den Berg try proved to be the difference between Rugby Football Club Los Angeles and the Chicago Hounds on Monday night.
To give their knockout rugby hopes a boost, the South African’s close-range try sealed a 26-24 win for the team and lifted them ahead of the Seattle Seawolves in the Western Conference.
The game was played at a high intensity from start to finish, with each side was finely matched and going blow-for-blow over the course of 80 minutes.
If Week 14 had not already provided surprises, this result displayed exactly why MLR is one of the most exciting competitions in the world.
