Late Penalties Sink Arrows in NOLA Defeat

News Jun-22-2021

Late Penalties Sink Arrows in NOLA Defeat

The Toronto Arrows were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday afternoon, falling 18-12 to the NOLA Gold at Lupo Family Field. Rainy, slippery conditions made for stop-start, staccato periods of play throughout the low-scoring affair.

The deadlock was broken shortly before the halfway-point of the first frame, when Gold wing Julian Dominguez went on a pacey 50-metre run down the left touchline. The Argentine did well to dodge several blue and white shirts before scoring in the corner, putting the away side ahead 5-0.

Toronto responded minutes later through a strong solo effort from centre Ben LeSage. The Arrows co-captain charged down a would-be clearance kick from Hanno Dirksen, plucked up the loose ball a metre from the goal line, and coolly touched down to the left of the posts. Spencer Jones slotted the conversion to put the Arrows on top 7-5, with the scoreline holding all the way to the interval.

With handling errors running rampant, scoring chances proved to be just as scarce in the second half as the limited supply in the opening frame. NOLA’s first opportunity came 10 minutes after the restart, when a scrum penalty allowed the Gold to kick to the corner. Toronto’s pack appeared to have stopped the ensuing maul and snuffed out the danger, but after the ball squirted free, No. 8 Cam Dolan was first to it, scooping it up and wheeling across the whitewash unimpeded.

The pendulum swung back in the Arrows’ favour soon after. A linebreak from hooker Andrew Quattrin put Toronto in a strong attacking position, and when the ball was recycled to Will Kelly, the fly-half executed a pinpoint grubber that popped perfectly into the hands of a streaking Gaston Mieres along the goal line; the Uruguayan simply had to dive across to bring the home side level.

With the scoreline knotted entering the final six minutes of the match, Toronto was stung with a double blow that sealed its fate. Taking full advantage of his side’s opportunities, Gold substitute Damian Stevens connected on two mid-range penalties — including one that marked the final play of the match — to allow NOLA to secure a late victory.

Veteran prop Rob Brouwer produced a 75-minute shift in his first match of the season, while recent signings prop Alex Janlin and loose forward Ronan Foley earned their MLR debuts.

Toronto enters Week 15 of the 2021 season with a ‘home’ clash with Rugby United New York (8-4; 41 points) on Saturday, June 26 in Atlanta. The Arrows defeated RUNY in the reverse fixture earlier this season, claiming a 53-12 victory in Jersey City.