Toronto Arrows big win over Rugby United New York shows Pumas influence

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Toronto Arrows Manuel Montero

The Toronto Arrows big win over Rugby United New York had several players step up. Manuel Montero (pictured above), Ben LeSage, and others played extremely well for the Arrows.

Toronto Arrows extends winning streak to two games

Their excellent passing ability was shown yet again with a critical win over Rugby United New York. Montero and his three tries helped the Toronto Arrows to win big over Rugby United New York. It was all Arrows, which had 61 percent of the possession and seven line breaks.

Three keys to the game: Toronto Arrows offence ‘firing on all cylinders’

Just like their previous game against the Seattle Seawolves, their offence was spectacular against New York City. New York City scored the first try, but the rest of the game was all Toronto. Joaquin Tuculet continued his excellent performance from the Seattle game to Cochrane Stadium in New Jersey. He scored the first try of the game in the 15-minute.

The Arrows also took a 5-7 lead against Rugby United New York. They would never trail again for the rest of the game. After that, Manuel Montero would score two tries and the Arrows would take a 5-19 lead after the first half. In particular, the passing that led to the second Manuel Montero try was excellent and is worth seeing again.

In the second half, the Arrows continued the momentum. Mike Sheppard would score the first try of the second half in the 45-minute. LeSage’s great passing ability led to Jason Higgins and Gastón Mieres getting a try in the game. Tayler Adams continues to impress by converting two penalties.

Lastly, Manuel Montero achieved his hat-trick try in the 76-minute. Huge credit for that try goes to Tomas De La Vega. His pass to Montero was what led to the try, and is yet another example of the ‘Pumas’ influence on recent match outcomes.

Toronto Arrows big win based on exceptional defence

The Arrows’ defence came up big when it mattered most. Three defensive stops stand out. The first important defensive stop came just before the end of the first half. Rugby United New York’s Dylan Fawsitt made a good run.

However, the Arrows’ defence made it difficult to score. As a result, a penalty was called against New York City and the Arrows maintained a double-digit lead after 40 minutes. Then in the 41- minute, Mieres and others put pressure on New York City. Rugby United New York ended up committing a knock-on and the Arrows maintained their double-digit lead.

Co-captain Lucas Rumball made a heads-up play using his body position to get over the top of the ball to steal the ball in the 59-minute. The announcers said that Rumball leads in turning over the ball in his team’s favour in MLR. That play showed how well the Arrows played against Rugby United New York.

Rugby United New York made too many critical defensive mistakes

There were a few plays Rugby United New York may want to look back at. The first one came in the 21-minute. Adams made a heads-up play and made an excellent kick pass to Montero. However, the New York City players were not aware of Montero. This created a mismatch between Montero and New York City’s Luke Hume. Montero is six-foot-four while Hume is five-foot-nine. The commentators said the height difference was a big factor and the Arrows scored the try.

Then in the 45-minute, Sheppard made a heads-up play. Conor McManus tried to kick the ball near the try line. Sheppard noticed this and blocked the kick. Consequently, the controversial try was awarded. Some people may say that the try should not have been awarded. However, it was a risky play for McManus to kick the ball, which resulted in another Arrows try.

New York City started to commit lots of penalties when losing 12-33. In the 67 and 72-minute, Adams converted two penalties and led the game 12-39. The Arrows would end up winning the game 12-53. The commentators mentioned that New York City did not do a good job in tying the ball up in these tackles. This allowed the Arrows to get their hands free to keep the ball alive seen with Higgins’s try in the 77-minute.

New York City made 15 turnovers in the game. This was almost double Toronto’s turnovers, which was only eight.

Toronto Arrows dominate Rugby United New York

For the second-straight game, the Arrows scored over 50 points. This was an impressive feat, especially after losing to the LA Giltinis 16-43 on April 10.

 

After having only one win in their first four games, the Arrows have rebounded back. They have won two straight games and are in first place in the Eastern Conference. They are tied with Rugby ATL in points but have a higher aggregate points difference.

It is important to note though that Rugby United New York and the NOLA Gold (based in New Orleans) are only one point behind the Arrows. Furthermore, New Orleans and New York City have a game in hand on both Toronto and Atlanta.

Saturday also marked the 100th try scored in Arrows history. Tuculet’s try, which was Arrows’ first try of the game marked an important landmark for a young franchise like the Arrows.

Adams continues to impress. He has the most points scored and conversions made in MLR right now. He also ranks third in the league in penalty goals and tied for second in try assists. LeSage is another player that played well today. He played a big role in Higgins’s and Mieres’s tries for the Arrows.

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Toronto finished the month of April with two wins and two losses. They will now play in the Gold Mine, Metairie, Louisiana, against New Orleans [NOLA].

The Arrows have never defeated Nola Gold in MLR, losing on two occasions in New Orleans in 2019. The game will take place on Sunday, May 2. Like previous games, Canadians will be able to watch the team nationally on TSN. It will also be on The Rugby Network and will take place at 1:00 p.m. ET.

 

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