u/lindani2008

Week #8 is in the books! We almost had an upset; we got a blowout and well the predictable close game from the East Coast teams happened again. This week felt like the start of relaxing or panicking of your franchise depending on your allegiance. We also had our first playoff clinch, with it being no surprise the Chicago Hounds. I debated doing the coaches hotseat theme this week but due to my previous commitments limiting my viewing ability (I will elaborate later) as well as wanting more data, I proposed this idea. Rather than strictly going after the coaches, I will recommend one thing I think your team needs to fix before the postseason, or what you need to do to make the postseason.

#1 Chicago Hounds – The First and Last 20 Minutes

I know Coach Latham has high standards for his Chicago Hounds Side but, he is giving Greg Popovich levels of not being satisfied with his team despite their record. Not only clinching a playoff spot but a home field advantage for the entire postseason is a huge accomplishment for the Chicago Hounds. The first half highlighted the first time where it appeared Chicago was on the back foot, until cementing a 36-26 win over the Legion. Also by the way, I think we have a new location for the worst camera angles and quality in the league. Starfire you’ve been replaced. Which is too bad because the pitch actually looked excellent.

If there was a flaw to this Chicago Hounds team is that they seem to be a predator that likes to play with its food. Particularly on the front and back end of games, some ill discipline and poor defense have allowed for teams to give the illusion of a fight or make the score look more respectable. Between the water breaks Chicago has looked unbeatable for most of the year, which is fine for the regular season. However, the postseason is a different beast. I think Chris Hislenbeck said it best in an interview with American Rugby Rising this past week, where he commented on the shock on losing a massive lead against New England in the Conference Finals. Chicago cannot afford to get complacent and need to figure out their issue.

Chicago returns home after a comedically long flight delay to face a hot Seawolves team with much more on the line. It will not shock me if Chicago decides to rest some key guys to protect them for the playoffs. Particularly their back row has gotten beaten up the past two games and they could benefit from the rest. I am not just saying this because I hope the Seawolves take advantage of the opportunity haha.

#2 California Legion – Discipline

Well... California Legion you tried to use the Bay to your advantage, and you failed. Interpret what you will. However, the first half showed the strengths of this side with some flashy and exciting rugby. For a time, Chicago looked beatable, and then the Hounds kicked into another gear. While they no longer control the other home playoff spot, Coach Holies men have the tools and games necessary to dictate their destiny. However, besides their ultimate Achilles heel, which is the rain, discipline has let them down throughout the season. The ill-disciplined opener against Anthem ages worse by the week, they nearly choked against Seattle, the Meakes red card was an issue against DC, poor handling in New England and well…several penalties in the ruck against Chicago. The Legion cannot afford to let these mistakes dictate games as the season progresses. These failings have bailed out their opponents, and it will continue to punish them going forward.

California will hope their one off All Black cosplay jerseys gives them luck for their last home game of the season. In their last matchup against Old Glory, it took a last 20-minute collapse from their opponents for the Legion to come out on top. The Legion will want to impress their fans in Sacramento and assert their dominance in the state of California. If they lose it will be a 2-3 record with their only wins in former MLR stadiums…

#3 Seattle Seawolves – Stop Playing Favorites

I really, really wanted to put Seattle at number two in the power rankings. However, despite the 3-game winning streak, I think the Seawolves have a more difficult ending to the season then the Legion ironically and anticipate some momentum to falter. The 57-21 win over Anthem was beautiful to witness (delayed), as it felt like Clarke’s men finally played a complete game. The return of Coetzer was a welcome return unleashing new dimensions to the offense. However, Coach Clarke’s kryptonite nearly ruined this game…he has favorites.  JP Smith was a late scratch from the game with Nolan coming in at 11. This game should prove that JP, as great a player he can be, has no business being played at winger. Clarke’s stubbornness to stick with his favored 23 unless he has to. Part of me doubts if we didn’t have the injury crisis if we would’ve seen guys like Calvin Luilamaga, Vavao, and Walsh who have excelled in their limited doses. With Lindenmuth likely returning…and other guys potentially getting healthy like Peculo and McLean if it will ruin the momentum of this current squad.

Seattle heads to Chicago for a highly anticipated matchup. (I was hoping to go to this game earlier in the year but instead I have to be a responsible adult and move out of my apartment…) After frankly an embarrassing showing at Starfire, Coach Clarke will need to rally his men to defeat his former assistant in Coach Latham.

#4 Old Glory DC – Unlock the Offense

Am I shocked by this result? No. Does this change my opinion about Old Glory? Also no. The men from DC won in an entertaining 24-23 victory over their rivals New England. Is there a name for this game? I know Deely coined the Red, White and Blue but can we find another? The Battle of the Founding Fathers? The Revolutionary War? Throw out your best name. However, what my main criticism of Coach Cross has been, and remains, is the failure to maintain the offense at a high level. They have these short bursts of brilliance and then a stale, flat and stagnate base line. James Deely of North American Rugby Database highlighted the lack of impact by the Centers in DC’s lineup. While Depperschmidt did get that try, I do think that point stands. Coach Cross needs a complete game and to better utilize his offensive weapons.

DC will want revenge against a Legion side they should have beaten a few weeks ago. Honestly, if they can find a way to keep the ball out of their hands while taking advantage of the opportunities in the opposing 22, I would not be shocked if DC pulls off the upset.

#5 New England Free Jacks – Hurry Up with the Reinforcements

So, were the reinforcements a ploy to sell more tickets or were Balekana and Quattrin genuinely not ready? They could have been the difference between a winning or losing season for the three-time champs. You are telling me having Balekana in at 14 instead of Van Der Bank wouldn’t have seen some sort of line break? Quattrin’s cleaning up one of the worst lineout percentages in the league? JFS also potentially now back will be a boost but come on Coach Martin, where are the stars? Some of the selections have certainly been interesting and I am curious to see if we will see these guys in the next week? What they will not be able to help with is for the first time in four seasons, the New England Free Jacks will not have a winning record. The dynasty is not dead…but they do be looking like they about to have the plug pulled.

The moniker of the “must win” game has already been overblown this season, by me as well to be fair. However, the Anthem and New England Free Jacks game is the definition of must win. The Loser is most likely to be eliminated from the playoffs in all but paper. Coach Martin needs his best players on the pitch desperately to maintain relevance.

#6 Anthem Rugby Carolina – The Defense

Guys, I’ll admit it, I was wrong about the Anthem. I compared this team to the 2024 Dallas Jackals. I was wrong, but not too far off. This is the 2023 Dallas Jackals. That squad went 2-14 after going winless, the previous year. However, even that Dallas Jackals side led by Coach Cuca was able to have four games where they kept their opponents below 20 points. Granted we haven’t really had any true defensive masterclasses where points are a luxury this season. Yet, what Coach Cuca’s teams have seemed to have struggled with historically is defense. Even in his best season with the Jackals, his team gave up 450 points while also scoring the second most points in the league. This season his Anthem side is scoring the 4^(th) most points while giving up the most. If Anthem wants any shot of making the post season, they need to crackdown on defense because they cant seem to outscore their opponents when in a shootout.

New England is probably the best-case scenario for them given their offense is no where near the level of a Seattle, Legion or Chicago. If Anthem can utilize their home crowd and halt a frankly iffy Free Jacks attack, it could be what they need to save their season.

Conclusions

I apologize for the briefness in my analysis this week as I had to catch up on the games with replays while doing errands. This past weekend I received my master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma (BOOMER SOONER) and its been a fun weekend of celebration. Next week, I will be addressing the theme of Coach’s hotseat as we will have just two weeks of MLR regular season rugby left.

Honestly, the theme of this week should be if your team can handle the weather given the differing conditions we had this week. Chicago looks unstoppable as usual, the Legion has the most obvious kryptonite I have ever seen a team have, the Seawolves resemble Rocky after every final fight, Anthem cannot seem to catch a break, Old Glory seemed to have stalled, and the Free Jacks seem to be hitting their grove somewhat. What a wacky and wild week of Major League Rugby!

The theme of this week is former players. Injuries, suspensions and overall weaknesses have shown themselves as the season progressed and teams desperately need reinforcements. Inspired by the Free Jacks signing back both former players in Andrew Quattrin and Paula Balekana, every team now has the luxury of bringing back one player to sure up their chances of making a push for the shield. I tried to stay away from retired players for obvious reasons, however I did make one exception which I think people will understand. 

#1 Chicago Hounds – Dylan Fawsitt/Hooker/Retired

I think Ben Holden would question my choices here because how can you improve on the perfect rugby team. Ok now that I got that cheeky jab out of the way back to business. After the Hounds demolishing of Anthem in a 61-36 thumping of Anthem Rugby Carolina, you could be forgiven for wondering what more could the Hounds want from their team? Their depth is excellent and their stars seem to be cruising along fine. One of those stars is hooker Deon Fourie. Questions about whether he could fill the void of the Butcher known as Dylan Fawsitt and well, he has certainly done that. So why am I advocating for Dylan to return to this squad? Well, why have one excellent hooker when you can have two? While Beckerman and Zabierek are decent in their own right, the quality of the lineouts certainly dips when Fourie leaves the pitch. He is also one of the few players to play in every single game for the Hounds, that’s a lot of wear and tear. Fawsitt would provide ample cover for the Hounds while maintaining a similar quality to that of Fourie. Plus, given how they are likely to win the league, why not add another shield to his trophy case? Do it Hounds, bring back the Butcher for one last dance…I feel I’ve heard that phrase before…

With the Hounds traveling to the Bay area and playing at Saint Mary’s, they might rotate the squad even more. Perhaps give Baska another go at scrumhalf, maybe rest Fourie, Loots might play against his old squad and maybe have Videla play fullback to give MVP candidate Brock Webster a rest? Or perhaps they want to prove weather wasn’t a factor in their first win over the Legion and bring their strongest side? It will be interesting to see.

#2 California Legion – Ma’a Nonu/Center/Toulon

You have no idea how badly I wanted to drop the Legion down a peg and laugh at them. All of the California teams losses have been humorous in some way. They were ill-prepared against what now looks like a playoff missing Anthem, Chicago kicked the crap out of them in the rain, and then they lost to the Free Jacks in the rain again. I have said it before and I said it again, this team has the most obvious Achilles heel, which is when they can’t play the way they want, they fold. The loss to the Free Jacks in particular is embarrassing as they blew out them in Week #2. The 26-21 loss shows that the Legion have some concerns regarding adjustments on the field and adapting when the pressure is truly on. This is why they need the ageless wonder that is Ma’a Nonu back in the squad. The All-Back Center now playing for Toulon brings experience and some needed physicality to the Legion backs. Nonu paired with Billy Meakes would be a devastating combo that could even give Chicago a scare.

However, the Legion needs to pray for the driest California day possible as they face the Hounds at Saint Mary’s. Everyone is saying this offense when the conditions are right can challenge the unbeaten Chicago side. Well next week we are going to find out, possibly. I will say if it’s a sunny day and the Hounds blow out the Legion again; they are going to the bottom of the Power Rankings for the frauds that they would be. Seriously, how hard is it to adjust a game plan for weather guys?

#3 Seattle Seawolves – Sam Matenga/Tighthead Prop/ Blues

Geez, this team does not know how to win a boring game, do they? To be frank, I thought Old Glory had the Seawolves number going into the second half, but Clarke got the boys to rally. While DC’s discipline shifted the game, the Seawolves nearly choked away a 30-25 win over in the nations capital. The return of Ina Futi was vital and Dan Kriel’s return to form have been godsends to the team. With Davy Coetzer’s return next week (hopefully) and Rufus McLean returning to practice, Seattle’s injury report seems to finally be shrinking (knock on wood). There are a lot of guys who would be huge returns for the Seawolves. Cameron Orr’s steady presence is missed greatly, Malembe Mpofu at lock would be huge, Charles Elton would be a massive addition, and AJ Alatimu would be welcome reinforcement at the flyhalf position. However, I am going with the Kiwi Sam Matenga as my player to return. Matenga’s time with the Seawolves ended in 2024 and since then Clarke has yet to find a long-term replacement. Peculo was playing admirably until he got injured against the Free Jacks and Mason Pederson is well Mason Pederson. Having a prop who has been a consistent squad member of a Super Rugby side would be a massive upgrade at the position and strengthen a beat up front row for the Seawolves.

Seattle returns home after a two week away game schedule to face Anthem. I know a lot of Seawolves fans were fuming at the loss from Week #2 due to a controversial call which shifted momentum. The Seattle faithful are out for blood and revenge against a team in poor form, Anthem. Is this…hope I feel...No I cannot afford to yet.

 

#4 New England Free Jacks – Reece McDonald/Flyhalf and Fullback/ NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu

Who took the foot off this teams throat? Do you realize what you have done? The three-time champions have momentum and reinforcements coming in fast! With another win against Legion bringing them closer to the playoff hunt, are the Free Jacks back? What will help their case is their signings of Andrew Quattrin and Paula Balekana, two huge additions to a squad in decent form. While the weather played a factor in their 26-21 win over the California Legion, their discipline was much improved from their Week #2 showing. So why not bring back another future Free Jacks wall of honor member in Reece McDonald. Yes, yes I could have brough back Jason Potroz but honestly Joel Hodgson is a younger better version of what you’d get in the Kiwi. McDonald on the other hand can fill in at the Free Jacks most glaring position #15. Mitch Wilson is not a fullback and while Harrison Boyle has done an admirable job in the role, McDonald could open up the offense greatly. So Free Jacks, why not give him a call, you know you want to.

The Free Jacks are probably thinking about their matchup against Old Glory and wonder, what if? If they had just held on against DC at home in Week #3, they would be in the playoffs at the moment. Now going to Old Glory’s home, the Free Jacks hope to take their revenge and cement their return to post season contention.

#5 Old Glory DC – Axel Müller/ Wing/RC Narbonne

I think its time to start talking about DC. I know everyone was harping on Seattle’s decision to go to Cape Town for a long preseason and how they got beat up as a result. Meanwhile DC was praised for its lack of one and how healthy they are. Well now they have a 2-4 record and are risking missing the playoffs. As bad as Seattle got, the one thing I never completely doubted was their chemistry. Regardless of the combinations, new additions, players out of position and the challenge in front of them, it felt like the team was following a game plan. This Old Glory side, while extremely talented, feels like they are missing something. Now granted the loss to the Hounds had the controversial card which swung momentum, but every other loss DC could not seem to finish their opponents off.  Legion crushed them in the final 15, and Seattle both times used the second half to pull away to a comfortable margin. While their defense is excellent still, their offense has not been able to capitalize when it has come down to the wire. Hence why I am begging Axel Müller to return to this side. Müller might not be the most talented player I could sign, but he had a knack of making something out of nothing. That try against the Miami Sharks last year is proof of that. That kind of explosiveness and to be frank, luck is what DC desperately needs.

Once again DC faces New England after losing to a Seattle side that they probably should have beaten. However, this Free Jacks side is confident and stronger than before. Likely without Captain Rob Harley and Tevite Naquali out, Rick Rose and Billy Whiteside are going to need to hold down the fort in the second row for a bit. DC cannot afford to continue to spiral, a must win game for them.

 

#6 Anthem Rugby Carolina- Toby Fricker/Winger and Fullback/ Bristol Bears

I really did not want to put Anthem bottom of my rankings, I thought they were done with this for a while. However, this Anthem side cannot seem to buy a win to save their lives. As mentioned by many, a club high of 36 points was not enough to conquer Chicago.  Anthem has not won a game since Week #3 against the Seawolves, a three-game losing streak. They’ve lost to Chicago twice, DC and New England and recent form suggest they are not going to defeat Legion or Seattle at this rate. While Anthem’s offense is high-powered, giving up 61 points is frankly dreadful. Particularly, they were beaten in the backs with Esdale, Storti and Roberts targeted. They need some defensive help and some 15s experience. I cannot believe I am saying this given how critical I was of his time at Anthem, but Toby Fricker might be worth a call. What makes Fricker a potential upgrade is he can cover both 15 and winger. That would allow Roberts to shift back to winger where he played arguably his best game against the Legion. It’s not a perfect upgrade but it might be what the Anthem needs.

Anthem are in must win territory when they travel to Starfire. While Jordon Trainor returning is a huge boost, Cuca is going to have to try something drastically different from previous weeks. The injury to Gurovich does not help matters as he was Anthem’s best lineout thrower so far. Perhaps the return of Seth Smith is all Anthem needs to find the early success they had this season.

Concluding Thoughts

Its been a whirlwind of a week with finals but I survived it! It was kind of therapeutic to do Power Rankings this week as I did not have to write anything academic. Looking forward to this coming week of Major League Rugby and all it brings. Onward!

 

Apologies for the delay as it has been a hectic week for me. Finishing a Masters program is no joke...Well, we are officially halfway done with the season now! It has certainly been a time and a half. While certainly there has been one dominant team at the top, it does appear we now have four tiers of classification. Chicago is ahead of the curve followed by a dangerous Legion side in their own space. Third tier is the battle for the last two playoffs spots which includes Anthem, DC and Seattle. Unfortunately for the Free Jacks they can’t even enjoy the fruits of their horrible season as their tampering charge has lost them their first overall selection.

For this week I wanted to focus once again on Free Agency of Christmas past. With the amount of turnover within the league there have been many successful signings by all the members of the MLR. However, there have certainly been some duds or just players who I was expecting more from. Note, this will not include injured players as while it is disappointing, I want to focus on the on the field product (if possible) or guys who I expected to make the team but are not getting in.

#1 Chicago Hounds – Jake Turnbell

I want to preface this was really difficult to select a player from the Hounds, but the fact of the matter is I was expecting to see more of Jake Turnbell. The capped Eagle has been a mainstay in the league, accounting for multiple 10+ appearance seasons for a variety of teams. An experienced prop who was co-captain of Anthem the past two seasons has only participated in one game this entire season so far. After starting against his former club Anthem in Week #2, Turnbell can seem to buy a game in the front row. Luke White has been a mainstay on the bench and Pifeleti has claimed the number one jersey for his own. It would not shock me if this were another one and done season for Jake Turnbell if he wishes to get more gametime elsewhere

  Chicago once again handled their business in a formidable showing at home against DC. While Old Glory gave them a run for their money in the first half, the Hounds pulled away winning in a comfortable 49-31 game. Now the Hounds get another shot at Anthem this time at home. It would be quite funny if Jake Turnbell were to make a return appearance against his former side once again.

#2 California Legion – Ronan Murphy

So far Ronan Murphy’s season has been defined by a singular moment, a red card against Chicago a couple of weeks ago.  The former Gilgroni, Raptor and SaberCat had a prime opportunity to make a case for himself to be in the starting lineup after Christian Poidervin’s collar bone injury. Instead, Murphy missed a good chunk of the MLR season on suspension while guys like Ed Timpson, Ben Houston and Lance Williams have cemented themselves as the back row trio for Legion. I believe his suspension is now up which will be a welcome sight for the team from California. Perhaps he can redeem what’s been a disappointing season.

The Legion is travelling to Fort Quincy this week to face the Free Jacks. While certainly the 3-time champions have improved from their embarrassing showing in San Diego, if Legion does not walk away with five points it will be a failure by Coach Hoiles and crew. They have the cushion to keep their home playoff spot (wherever that will be), but why chance it?

#3 Old Glory DC – Max Schumacher

Oof, I know, I know I am gutted to say this. I had such high hopes for Schumacher, and I believe he can turn it around, but I cannot lie and say I am not at least a little disappointed. He did have that great game against Anthem where I thought finally the DC offense clicked. But, after watching the Chicago game and seeing particularly the first half offense, it did look better overall with Hoyland at #15. Now to be fair, Hoyland is definitely a better player than Schumacher at the moment, but as proven in the games past the Scot does just as well on the wing. Again, I do not think Max Schumacher has been bad at all, I was just expecting a bit more from him given the guys he has around him. I have not seen the Schumacher from the tail end of the season with Houston last year.

DC returns home and faces a once again battered Seattle Seawolves side which they’ll be hoping to avenge their Week #2 defeat to. Hopefully those who were absent from the Chicago trip are rested and healthy to return. Also get well soon Tevita Nequali.

# 4 Anthem Rugby Carolina – Seth Smith

I am starting to notice a trend here with former Sabercats…ah probably won’t come up again for the next team… Like his former teammate Schumacher, the youngster hooker had a lot of hype coming into the season. However, Seth Smith’s predicament is more akin to Jake Turnbell’s in that he cannot seem to get into the team. Campbell Robb has done an excellent job overall coming out of the draft and Gurovich coming off the bench has arguably been better. Besides one solitary start against Chicago, Smith also cannot seem to buy a game. I have heard he has started college, so perhaps commitments are split as he gets settled there, but from going to an MLR final to a benchwarmer in one season cannot be fun.

Anthem has the chance to avenge their home defeat to the Hounds, as they travel to Chicago. Cuca hopefully has allowed his team to fix some issues and reorient towards their early season form.

#5 Seattle Seawolves – Ezekiel Lindenmuth

You all should have seen this one coming a mile away if you have been keeping up with my Rankings. Funny how when the guy who is notoriously been giving up penalties at the worst possible time is not playing, the team wins. I have seen enough play LaRome White and Charlie Walsh the rest of the season. All kidding aside, I am hard on Lindenmuth because he is extremely talented. While two tries are nothing to scoff at, the penalties given up have been detrimental.  Two cards and some poor tackling attempts have soured this signing. Hopefully this allows him to reset and come back with a less reckless approach.

Seattle’s win over the FreeJacks 27-11 highlights the fact that there is talent within this Seawolves squad and on their day, they can beat anyone...except maybe Chicago... They are going to play ugly doing it, but they can win games. While they are now 3^(rd) in the ladder, it doesn't feel like they are. A win against DC would certainly cement Coach Clarke’s side as a playoff spoiler.

#6 New England Free Jacks – Max Lehmann

Maybe this is just me and no one else had expectations for Max here, but I certainly did. The U.S eligible winger had some unique qualities coming over from Australia that perked my interest. A rugby league converts to union sounded like a fun experience to witness. Well, he started against Legion and we have not seen him since. I also do not expect to now as in addition to the return of the fan favorite Paula Balekana, Coach Martin has played a center in what would’ve been his spot. I know that the loss against Legion was bad, but Salmon made just as many mistakes, and he is still in the lineup, so what gives? Maybe I was being unrealistic on what it takes to change disciplines, but I figured he’d at least be a fun fast winger that made some occasional line breaks for the highlight reels.

If last week was not do or die for New England, this next week is. The California Legion are coming to Fort Quincy, and I am sure the defeat of Week #2 lingers on. Since it does not matter if the Free Jacks “tank” or not, they might as well enjoy playing annoying spoiler for the rest of the league.

Concluding Thoughts

Apologies for the shorter post this week. With the bye’s and it being dead week for me, my free time is limited, and I already spent way too much time watching rugby. However, Power Rankings will be back in full force next week!