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How the big-name signings really went in Major League Rugby

By Adam McQueen
(Photos by Getty Images)

Major League Rugby recently kicked off its third professional season in the United States, and this year is set to be bigger than ever. The league has been aggressive in its expansion, introducing three new additional franchises this season based out of Atlanta, Washington D.C., and New England. Major League Rugby has also brought along star power in the form of recognizable international players to bolster the competition.

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These signings bring a wealth of experience and professionalism which is crucial for teams in their infancy. However, not all stars shine equally as bright, and this has certainly been the case in the early stages of the competition. Let’s take a look at how each ‘import’ has fared over the first two rounds.

Ma’a Nonu

A quick glance at the legendary All Black’s birth certificate may have led to the assumption that Nonu is over the hill at this stage of his career.

However, the 37-year-old has arguably been the best player over the first two rounds of play, leading an utterly dominant San Diego outfit to two convincing wins. It should come as no surprise since Nonu was stringing together quality performances in Super Rugby last season, just missing out on an unlikely All Blacks recall.

Following a shaky start in the championship rematch versus the Seattle Seawolves, Nonu flipped the tenor of the game with some sumptuous passes that unleashed the San Diego backline into the wide channels. The inside centre took control of the match and orchestrated two beautiful tries to blow the game wide open in the second half.

Nonu followed up on this performance up with an outstanding maiden try in Las Vegas, busting out his patented side-step to blow by fellow former All Black, Rene Ranger. The San Diego Legion have clearly been the cream of Major League Rugby so far, and Nonu is at the heart of it all.

Mathieu Bastareaud

Although it has only been two games, Bastareaud’s performances for New York have been an unmitigated disaster. The former French captain lined up at inside centre in his debut and was anonymous for most of the match, his team getting thoroughly out-classed by New England. While the newly introduced Free Jacks came out firing, New York followed the lead of their big-name star and were a step slow all game.

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Bastareaud has never possessed the typical figure of an international centre, but more concerning was his disinterest in asserting his trademark physicality. In an attempt to rekindle that combative flame New York moved Basteraud to eight-man for their second match, a position he frequented while at Lyon. It took all of sixty seconds for the big man to be on the receiving end of a highlight reel hit.

Outside of a few rampaging runs from the back of the scrum, Bastareaud was once again an afterthought in the game. The New York back-line also looked far sharper without Bastareaud in the midfield, albeit against a weaker opponent. Despite the convincing win, it will be crucial for Bastareaud to be his usual destructive self in contact and at the breakdown against the best teams. If New York hopes to return to the playoffs they will need to find the right position to unlock their star’s quality.

Tendai Mtarawira

Mtawirara’s introduction to the Major League Rugby couldn’t have gone much better. In front of a sold-out crowd in their first-ever home game, ‘the Beast’ helped Old Glory record an impressive win over the defending champion Seattle Seawolves on debut. The World Cup winning prop was quite the attraction after the game as well!

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The Beast was very popular post win against Seattle. Lost of autographs signed. from MLRugby

Mtawirara helped anchor a scrum that was pulverized the week prior. Although their set-piece was still under immense pressure, the Beast’s presence made a drastic difference that kept his team afloat against what has been the best scrummaging team in the competition. Mtawirara threw himself across the park in open play for 70 minutes and injected life into his new team.

Rene Ranger

Another former All Black in the competition, Ranger has had a quieter start to the season than his mid-field counterpart Nonu. The destructive ball runner missed a large portion of the Super Rugby competition last year with the Sunwolves after rupturing his ACL in the opening round, so it is justifiable that he will slowly find his feet.

Ranger made his debut off of the bench in the opening round, being utilized as an outside centre for the Colorado Raptors rather than on the wing in an upset loss in Houston. In his second game Ranger looked far more threatening in attack against San Diego, setting up a try with a quality miss pass. Ranger may have been stepped out of his boots by Nonu early in the first half, but he regained his footing and will likely be the main source of line breaks for Colorado in the back-line.

The Raptors’ other notable signing, Digby Ioane, is yet to suit up for them yet but could be a major boon for a team that is looking for a spark.

WATCH: England head coach Eddie Jones was forced to apologise after making a bizarre remark about racism that has invited renewed scrutiny of his England regime.

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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