In the final minute, five down in the snow-covered Zions Bank Stadium, NOLA Gold left wing Nick Feakes stiff-armed past the last defender to score his third try of the match, securing the 21-19 comeback victory for the Utah Warriors, and the MLR Week 6 Player of the Week award.
Meanwhile, Team of the Week went to the Glendale Raptors, who overcame a Colorado cold front, with wind-chill temperatures in the single digits, and shut out the Toronto Arrows 22-0.
Feakes (pictured below), the 6-foot, 194-pound rookie out of Lindenwood University, scored 15 points and all three tries for the league-leading Gold, who sit atop the standings at 4-1 with 21 points. Feakes dived over for his first try in the 27th minute with the visitors down 14-6, finishing a sweeping passing move.
On the stroke of halftime, Feakes’ pace took him past an unbalanced Utah Warriors defense, putting the Gold in front for the first time in the game. In the final seconds, with the Gold trailing 19-16, Feakes got around the edge of the defense after another wide swing, giving Gold the win. Feakes is the third NOLA Gold player to win the Player of the Week Award this season.
The Glendale Raptors delivered the first shutout of the 2019 MLR season, leaning on team discipline and a well-prepared game plan to defeat the Toronto Arrows in grueling conditions. In their first home game of the season, the Raptors exerted control at the breakdown and limited turnovers, maintaining possession for 66 percent of the match, and out-gaining the Arrows 954 meters to 277. Four different Raptors crossed for tries, earning the home side the bonus point. The Raptors now place fourth in the league standings with 15 points and a 2-2-1 record.
MLR’s First XV of Week 6:
Loosehead Prop (No. 1), Franco Van Den Berg, Utah Warriors
Hooker (No. 2), Dylan Fawsitt, Rugby United New York
Tighthead Prop (No. 3), Marco Fepulea’I, Glendale Raptors
Lock (No. 4), Mike Sheppard, Toronto Arrows
Lock (No. 5), Luke White, Glendale Raptors
Blindside Flanker (No. 6), Peter Milazzo, Toronto Arrows
Openside Flanker (No. 7), James Denise, Rugby United New York
No. 8, Ayron Schramm, Houston SaberCats
Scrumhalf (No. 9), Carlo De Nysschen, Glendale Raptors
Flyhalf (No. 10), Scott Gale, New Orleans Gold
Wing (No. 11), Nick Feakes, New Orleans Gold
Inside Center (No. 12), Con Foley, New Orleans Gold
Outside Center (No. 13), Osea Kolinisau, Houston SaberCats
Wing (No. 14), Josua Vici, Houston SaberCats
Fullback (No. 15), Ben Foden, Rugby United New York