Five Must-Watch Plays from Arrows v. NOLA

Despite coming into the game at the summit of the Eastern Conference, a fast-paced, strong opening couldn’t keep the Toronto Arrows from falling 22-14 to the NOLA Gold on their May 2^nd matchup.

It was a tale of two halves as the Arrows stormed out to an early 14-0 lead before NOLA scored 22 straight points for the comeback win.

While the Arrows will rue some missed chances to extend their lead, Toronto’s ability to break tackles and spin the ball wide with pace was central to their early dominance in the game. Winger Manuel Montero features heavily in the Five Must-Watch Plays below, scoring two tries in quick succession.

Montero Benefits From Excellent Ball Movement

The Arrows’ first try stems from the hard work done almost 30 seconds before Montero scores. Centre Ben LeSage takes a crash ball between two defenders, forcing the NOLA defence to scramble.

From there it’s almost routine for Toronto. A quick ball out to the right shortly before two more dominant rucks sees the ball recycled quickly; fly-half Tayler Adams drifts, drawing defenders and once more it’s an intelligent line taken by LeSage. The centre straightens up, keeping NOLA’s backline narrow.

More quick ball takes advantage of the tight defence and leaves acres of room for Montero on the wing. The ball moves quickly through the hands of Adams (10) and then Tomas de la Vega (6) before Montero trots across the line with ease.

Arrows Scythe Through Defence for Montero’s Second Try

Montero’s second try of the day was the perfect combination of a Forwards-Backs try and all done in the span of 40 seconds. A strong lineout starts everything with the Arrows’ pack perfecting the rolling maul, leaving most of the NOLA pack clinging.

As the forwards start to slow, look for a small tap from scrum-half Ross Braude on the hip of the forward. Braude wants the ball to spray it wide and take advantage of NOLA’s narrow defence. Leandro Leivas wraps around while lock Mike Sheppard runs a dummy line and it’s Leivas’ flat pass to winger Gaston Mieres who steps through NOLA and offloads to Montero for his second.

Arrows Dominant Scrum

The Arrows put on a determined defence for the last five minutes of the first half. Tons of tackles, stops and unforgiving defence but none more crushing than this scrum.

Just watch how solid this scrum is… simply devastating!

Bold Play Turns Defence into Offence

Check out this gutsy play to get out from behind your try line – kick it to safety? No, far better to sell a dummy kick, one pass, an offload and then a marauding 20 metre-run from none other than Manuel Monetero.

Arrows Scramble Defence Shuts Down a NOLA Attack

NOLA looked poised to break their scoreboard duck in the 55^th minute of the game. An inside ball gave NOLA a forward-on-back matchup resulting in a clean line break.

Another inside pass and the Arrows were scrambling back. A desperate hand from Leivas (22) slowed the NOLA attack before a crunching hit stopped the attack in its tracks.

Imagine taking that hit… on second thought, maybe it’s better if you don’t. Ouch!

Looking Ahead

It proved to be a tough loss for the Arrows after some near perfect performances against New York and Seattle. Toronto will look to rebound against Rugby ATL in the inaugural Fire and Ice Cup on May 8th at 7 p.m. ET.

About the Author:

Oliver Smith is writer, podcast host and sports fanatic. Growing up in London, England, he moved to Toronto, Canada in 2010 before graduating with Honours at Queen’s University. He has been a sports writer since 2019.  Reach him on Twitter or LinkedIn.

Header Photo Credit: Craig Boudreaux