Atlanta 24-24 Atlanta
by: Jonny Rea
Fans of Atlanta rugby were treated to a beautiful day last Saturday, filled with lots of great rugby at Silverbacks Park. Unfortunately, they likely went home a bit dissatisfied with the results on the pitch. The first match of the day featured an absolute battle between rivals Atlanta Old White and Atlanta Renegades, going down to the wire and ultimately finishing where it started - in a draw at 24-24. The headliner was a matchup of two teams jockeying for position at the top of the Eastern Conference in Major League Rugby, with the visiting New England Freejacks supplanting Rugby ATL at first place with a 41-27 victory. Old White backs and attack coach Te Rangatira Waitokia used his footwork to score a first-half try from the outside center position.
Atlanta Old White retained the Atlanta Cup by default last Saturday as their annual matchup with rivals Atlanta Renegades finished in a 24-24 tie. Old White showed flashes of brilliance and jumped to an early lead, carrying a 17-7 edge into the halftime break. However, a yellow card in the 35th minute, second-half mistakes, and a lot of determined pressure from the Renegades allowed the boys in black to claw their way back to even the score late in the second half. Despite a couple chances with penalties inside the Renegades’ half in the final 5 minutes, Old White was unable to put the game away in the windy conditions.
“There was a lot of really really amazing rugby from us,” said Head Coach Phil Thiel following the match, “and a lot of hard-fought, hard-working, ‘giving it everything they’ve got to stop us’ from them.” Old White held a clear upper-hand in the set piece, especially in scrums.
Tries were scored by Zach Miller, Jarrett Gartin, and George Phelan. Zach Miller was 1-for-3 on penalty kicks and slotted all 3 conversion attempts despite strong winds. Man of the Match honors go to Jon Garbin for his dynamic play in open play and strong platform at the set piece.
The boys stuck around for a Creature Comforts-fueled USA-themed tailgate before attending the Rugby ATL match
The roster was as follows:
CJ Anderson
Phil Thiel
Zach Jessell
Francois Simand
Sean Hunt
Zach McAfee
Kenny Green
Jon Garbin
Jarrett Cartin (c)
George Phelan
Austin Fernandez
Richard Shore
Drew Moyes
Kimani Archer
Zach Miller (vc)
Mitch Shea
Justin “Telly” Chappell
Christian Suggs
Caleb Lindsey
Jonny Rea
Bejohn Baker
Jarrod Byrne
Tim Acker
UP NEXT: Old White’s Division 3 side has closed out its season with a 35-22 victory on the road against the Augusta Maddogs. Division 2 (5-1-1) has one more road match against the Greenville Griffins on April 9th. Following that, the team will compete in the Carolinas Geographical Rugby Union Playoffs on April 23rd and 24th at Kershaw County Park in Lugoff, South Carolina.
