Major League Rugby’s docuseries on the 2021 Austin Gilgronis is a six part weekly serial on FS2 and available to stream on The Rugby Network after a 24 hour delay. We’ll be providing a weekly recap of our key takeaways.
The Good
We’ve moved into a tough part of the season for Austin. Level on points with Utah, they lacked the attack prowess to survive the Warriors.
That came after a loss to their cousins in LA. A pair of back to back losses to the two teams above them started to show the raw emotion that comes when you’ve lost control of your fate.
The Bad
This week, the show spent a chunk of time covering Adam Gilchrist himself. Owner of both LA and Austin, even Sam Harris made a joke about his side being the red headed step child.
Gilchrist is a controversial figure to long time MLR fans. He’s brought significant investment into the league, yet he remains an enigma with a steely demeanor. Watching him lift the Shield with no expression on his face after the Championship only cemented his place as a (much needed) villain
Inside the Scrum took a different angle. They approached him a fun loving guy that simply allowed rugby people to do their jobs. At face value, there’s nothing wrong. But he also has made no appearance as of halfway through a program examine a club he owns. Nothing that was said will generate ill opinions, but choosing to not take the perfect opportunity to show how fun loving he allegedly is felt like an admission that the reality is a different person than the one they presented.
Adam Gilchrist’s silence is only growing more deafening.
The Result
Inside the Scrum is losing momentum. Outside of the ‘we want to win everything’ assumption that comes with every sports story, the ultimate goal remains elusive. Characters are rotating too much to feel a connection to any one in particular. We have three episodes to go, but this is starting to feel like a movie that’s only fun if you read the book first.
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