NOLA GOLD SHINES, EARNS FIRST WIN OF 2023 MLR CAMPAIGN

NOLA GOLD SHINES, EARNS FIRST WIN OF 2023 MLR CAMPAIGN

NOLA Gold Rugby produced an illustrious display of open-field creativity, game-breaking athleticism, and hard-hitting physicality to thoroughly stomp the New York Ironworkers, 31-5 at the Shrine on Airline on Sunday afternoon.

From the first blow of the whistle until the last, the Gold controlled the flow of the game to handily beat the reigning MLR Champions. Rodney Iona opened the scoring with a knifing run through the heart of the Ironworker defense to score a try in the 28th minute. With a successful conversion kick, Iona produced the only points for either side in the first half, sending the Gold into their home locker room 7-0 to the good after 40 minutes of play.

It didn’t take long for Iona to replicate his enterprising open-field industry. Slippery as an eel and speedy as a sailfish, the Australia native took the ball from before the halfway line and into the tryzone for his second try of the day, only 1 minute into the second half. From there, the Gold kept their foot on the pedal and eye on the prize to see out a huge home victory. Luke Campbell and Jordan Trainor added spectacular tries of their own to stretch the already-comfortable lead to a satisfying 28-0 in the 51st minute. Campbell cleverly took the ball from an advantage call and darted into the tryzone before any Ironworkers had the wits to stop him. As for Trainor, he completed a field-length breakaway to confidently place the ball underneath the posts; by the time he was in the tryzone, no blue shirts were even in the camera frame.

The remainder of the time was a mere technicality as the Gold comfortably saw the game to its emphatic finish. This win notches the Gold a critical 5 points – 4 for winning the match, and an additional 1 for scoring 4+ tries. NOLA is now firmly in the win column and in the hunt for a strong position within the Eastern Conference. Going into week 5, the Gold will look to maintain their momentum and put together another end-to-end performance against the Utah Warriors at home on Saturday, March 18th.