Atlanta Strikes Gold in New Orleans
Old White traveled to The Big Easy on Saturday for a pre-spring friendly with the True South’s perennial powerhouse, the New Orleans Rugby Football Club, at the NOLA Gold practice field next to the Gold Mine on Airline. In what could be a preview to a Southeast postseason matchup, Atlanta came away with a 33-12 victory. With several players making debuts and a few in new positions, this match proved to be a valuable opportunity for Old White to reaffirm its identity.
After over seven hours of driving and an unexpected traffic jam on the Mississippi-Louisiana line, Old White arrived with barely enough time for a hurried warmup before the game began and it showed. Immediately after receiving the opening kickoff inside their own 22, Atlanta set up a clearing kick to gain some field position. Impressive line speed from an energetic New Orleans defense led to a very quick charged-down kick scooped up for a try. Within the first minute of the match, Old White found themselves in a 7-0 hole. However, this appeared to be all the wake-up call the visitors needed.
Atlanta was able to settle things down quickly, and spent the remainder of the first 20 minutes establishing their pattern and chemistry together. This patience and trust in each other paid off, as Atlanta carried a 14-7 lead into halftime. This momentum continued into the first 20 minutes of the second half, as Old White continued to attack from their platform and were rewarded with two more converted tries, stretching their lead to 28-7.
With less than 20 minutes remaining, New Orleans was able to take advantage of a yellow card conceded by Old White. With strong support and hard carries by their forwards, the home team slowly churned out an attack inside the Atlanta 22 that eventually led to a try in the corner by the backs. The conversion kick from near the touch line fell short, and Old White returned to a full 15 with minutes remaining and a 28-12 lead.
When good pressure from Atlanta forced a kick to touch from the New Orleans scrumhalf, the referee announced that the clock had reached full time and the lineout would be the final play. Rather than kicking to touch to end of the match, Old White orchestrated an attack from inside its own 22, looking for an opportunity to earn one final try. After several phases, Old White’s George Phelan broke loose on a long individual run before being taken down by the last line of defense. After a quick ruck by prop Tim Moody and lock Jonny Rea, and quick recycling of the ball by scrumhalf Jarrett Gartin, flanker Bejohn Baker finished it off with his second try of the match.
Tries were scored by Bejohn Baker (2), Austin Fernandez (debut), Zach Miller, and George Phelan. Jacques Odendaal (debut) was 3-for-4 on conversions, while Zach Miller slotted his lone conversion.
The starting lineup for Saturday was as follows:
Justin Chappell
Mitch Shea
CJ Anderson
Jonny Rea
Sean Hunt
Caleb Lindsey
Zach McAfee
Jon Garbin
Jarrett Gartin (c)
Jacques Odendaal
Derek Grant
George Phelan
Austin Fernandez
Noah Cooper
Zach Miller (vc)
Tim Moody
Benjamin Simone
Daryl Leeson
Christian Suggs
Bejohn Baker
Jose Barrera
Brandon Wilgor
Menelik Zafir
Thomas Lawson
Following the match, the boys stuck around at the Gold Mine on Airline to support Rugby ATL vs NOLA Gold in an MLR preseason match. Although the team was happy to see Rugby ATL walk away with a comfortable 52-21 win, they found themselves reveling in the successes of both teams, as members of the Atlanta Old White family represented both teams on the pitch. Assistant Coach Te Rangatira Waitokia started on the wing for Rugby ATL, while former Old White utility player Maciu Koroi made his MLR debut at 8-man for NOLA Gold. Congratulations are in order for both, as well as thanks for representing Atlanta Old White on the national stage.
UP NEXT: Old White’s D3 side (1-0) has 3 home matches in a row starting on February 12th, hosting High Country, Gainesville/Gwinnett, and Alpharetta. D2 is off until it makes another long road trip to Southern Pines on March 19th.
