Major League Rugby

[Mellsblue]

Grim reading:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... ssion=true

[Puja]

Grim reading:

https://amp.theguardian.com/sport/blog/ ... ssion=true

It's a very doom and gloom article, which is weird cause Martin Pengelly has previously been a cheerleader for the league, even to the extent of being over effusive at times. I don't think it's really earned its tone - the Colorado seceding rumour has come from a notorious shit-stirrer and it's far from clear if there's anything to it whatsoever.

Frankly, I think it's at most a negotiating tactic to gain them more influence - they've invested a lot if money in buying in the likes of Ranger and Ioane into their 2020 squad and that's not the actions of a side heading for the exit. Plus, the rumour is not of them folding, but of setting up a new comp, which would be bananas to say the least - where would they go?!

I think it's a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing, just like the Utah rumours of them not paying their bills that came to nothing.

Puja

[Puja]

Loads of stuff happening today. New commissioner hired from the NBA, announcing two new franchises in 2021 (LA and Dallas finally appearing), at a press conference for New Orleans becoming the sole tenant of their own stadium.

The stadium's interesting. It is a baseball one, but the baseball team have moved out (to Wichita), leaving NOLA with their own place that they can customise to suit rugby and a sports fanbase that have just lost their team. Plus I'm reliably informed that it's "the right side of the river" as opposed to their old base at a school, which is apparently very important in NO.



Puja

[Mellsblue]

That moment when you realise NY isn’t in California:

[Puja]

That moment when you realise NY isn’t in California:

Eesh. Poor sod. Meanwhile Ma'a Nonu is having to put up with 12 degrees C in mid December!

Old Glory are apparently making a "Champion" signing who has beaten the All Blacks today and rumours are rife that it's Mtawarira (apparently currently in Yank country with family). Massive if true, but those criteria could also apply to Kieran Brookes if you took them liberally enough.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

That moment when you realise NY isn’t in California:

Eesh. Poor sod. Meanwhile Ma'a Nonu is having to put up with 12 degrees C in mid December!

Old Glory are apparently making a "Champion" signing who has beaten the All Blacks today and rumours are rife that it's Mtawarira (apparently currently in Yank country with family). Massive if true, but those criteria could also apply to Kieran Brookes if you took them liberally enough.

Puja

Yeah. Saw that on twatter last night. It’ll be interesting to see who it is.

[Stom]

That moment when you realise NY isn’t in California:

Eesh. Poor sod. Meanwhile Ma'a Nonu is having to put up with 12 degrees C in mid December!

Old Glory are apparently making a "Champion" signing who has beaten the All Blacks today and rumours are rife that it's Mtawarira (apparently currently in Yank country with family). Massive if true, but those criteria could also apply to Kieran Brookes if you took them liberally enough.

Puja

Yeah. Saw that on twatter last night. It’ll be interesting to see who it is.

David Wilson?
Freddie Burns?

Or even Alex Goode?

[Puja]

Eesh. Poor sod. Meanwhile Ma'a Nonu is having to put up with 12 degrees C in mid December!

Old Glory are apparently making a "Champion" signing who has beaten the All Blacks today and rumours are rife that it's Mtawarira (apparently currently in Yank country with family). Massive if true, but those criteria could also apply to Kieran Brookes if you took them liberally enough.

Puja

Yeah. Saw that on twatter last night. It’ll be interesting to see who it is.

David Wilson?
Freddie Burns?

Or even Alex Goode?

They have to be technically a champion in some regard, so that rules out Freddie Burns and Davey Wilson. Could be Goode. Could be Tom Wood, for that matter.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

It is the Beast.

[morepork]

It is the Beast.

Sarah Sanders? She’d make a filthy hooker.

[Mellsblue]

RUNY sell an equity stake to a NZ private equity firm:

https://www.rugbyunitedny.com/news/newo ... 0791711ed1

[Puja]

RUNY sell an equity stake to a NZ private equity firm:

https://www.rugbyunitedny.com/news/newo ... 0791711ed1

Hopefully they'll sort out their marketing and promotion. Worried RUNY will spend another year playing to 1.5k crowds knocking around that crap stadium.

OTOH, things are looking rosy for the other Eastern franchises. DC and New England have drawn 2k crowds to warmups and New Orleans's new stadium looks pretty good (for a converted baseball anyway). Apparently this one on the "right" side of the river as well, which is important to NO people.



The opening games in Las Vegas are looking to be a bit of a clusterf*ck though. Late change from a stadium near all the amenities to one that's 32k, beat-up, and way away from anywhere. Hope they're not inviting the television cameras, cause that's going to look like a Southern Kings home game.

Puja

[Puja]

RUNY are leaning into the retirement home theme - already with Basta and Foden, they are apparently unveiling Drew Mitchell coming out of retirement and are "in talks" with Robshaw and Zebo for next season. They could end up with a phenomenal team when they get that machine that rewinds time by 7 years up and running.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/drew-mit ... -for-talks

Puja

[Mellsblue]

A) Balls. If true, and if the Hask hadn’t mangled his toe, I could’ve completed the full house of my Foden, Haskell and Robshaw examples of possible MLR signings in the signings thread.
B) Yay. If true, it’s another excuse to go to watch RUNY. Hopefully in a better stadium.
C) Those Kiwis must have a lot of $$$$ and hold the celery cap in similar esteem to a certain Mr Nigel Wray.

[Puja]

I think the salary cap is already more of a salary top hat. If you think Mtawarira's not getting coincidentally paid by a sponsor for some token appearances, then I've got a bridge to sell you.

Mind, it's serving a different purpose there - the official salary is paid by the league, whereas any extras are paid by the rich bloke behind the team. So if the rich bloke gets bored and buggers off, then the team isn't saddled with the debts and the league doesn't have to go bankrupt covering the extras.

I note Robshaw's now officially announced he is leaving Quins and looking at overseas opportunities.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

The crowd for RUNY V NE is terrible.

[Puja]

The crowd for RUNY V NE is terrible.

Embarrassing. The league isn't big enough to have an event game across the other side of the country. Who in the hell in Las Vegas wants to see a game between New York and New England? Especially since if the locals do have any interest in rugby, they could wait a week and turn up to the multi-team weekend instead.

It's doubly embarrassing considering that NY vs NE would probably get quite a good crowd if held as an actual home game.

Puja

[Puja]

San Diego vs Seattle was an entirely different kettle of fish however - a very noisy and passionate 4.5k crowd and some high quality rugby, with some sumptuous passes from Nonu to set up a win for San Diego. If the league were 100% those two teams, then it'd be in a very healthy state.

Puja

[Puja]

[Puja]

Hah - Bastareaud's finally moved into the pack and begins his slow slide towards the front row!



He's looked very average and a bit overweight in the preseason games and hardly set the world alight against NE. I suspect he was coming over here to be the big fish in a small pond and see if he couldn't create a brand, only to find that the pond is deeper than he was expecting and he's been gazumped by Nonu as the best foreign player in the league and soon again by Mtawarira once his visa comes through.

Puja

[Mellsblue]

Dependent on the gradient it could be a fast slide. There’s plenty of latent momentum in that belly. Let’s just hope they’re better than last week. Although, I ain’t staying up that late to watch it.

[morepork]

No.8. That's classic. The French paradox is about to take a hammering as he trades in his resveratrol-rich red wine and gamey meat for curly cheese fries, buffalo wings and meat ball sandwiches in between shots of jack and pitchers of Pabsts Blue Ribbon at some hipster dive bar. He will expand. Oh yes.

[Puja]

It'll surprise no-one to learn that Bastareaud did not look dynamic and athletic as a number 8. Frankly, he looks a waste of whatever money he is being paid.

Compare and contrast to Nonu, who is 38, still as fit as a butcher's dog, and who is having a massive influence on all the players around him. Or to Mtawarira, who stepped off a flight from a different continent on Thursday, and then played 70 minutes on the Saturday, anchoring what had previously been a very ropey scrum and providing the platform for a famous victory over the reigning champions in Old Glory's first ever home match - and then stayed for hours signing autographs afterwards. Both of them are absolute credits to the sport - Bastareaud currently is an embarrassment and needs to buck up his ideas.

Puja

[morepork]

Ma'a might be eyeing up some coaching in the not too distant future.


Are the Yanks yelling "BEEEEEEAST" from the stands yet?

[Puja]

Ma'a might be eyeing up some coaching in the not too distant future.

Would not surprise me if he's already doing it. His value to the Legion goes far beyond what he's bringing on the pitch.

Are the Yanks yelling "BEEEEEEAST" from the stands yet?

They are indeed - turns out Americans can be taught to follow simple instructions.

Puja