Each week brings too many story lines to cover in depth. 3 Things is our weekly feature to rectify that, taking a shallow dive into three story lines that deserve more coverage.
Home is Where the Heart is, but Away is Where the Wins Are
Mark it; Round 8 of the 2022 Major League rugby season ends up being the first time away sides swept the fixture list. The eighth week of the league’s fifth season. All five games went to the road.
The surprising bit is that it never happened in the earliest years. The first year of the league featured only three games a week, yet the home sides were never swept over the course of a round.
It takes a bit of a fluke to make that happen. ATL falling at home? Not many sides can do that. NOLA has been mediocre at best, but they were plying their trade in DC. LA starting to find their rhythm while Settle is spinning. An inconsistent Houston toppling an inconsistent Utah. Toronto over New York was the most surprising, but its not exactly unfathomable.
It also shows the changing dynamics of travel. Being an American road team is hard. The travel is extremely lengthy compared to other competitions. Teams are traveling via economy most of the time. Give credit to all the teams for starting to improve their traveling conditions.
The Eastern Playoff Race Isn’t Dead Yet
Toronto has taken more than a couple blows. They have an injury list as long as a CVS receipt. But putting an L in RNY’s record on the road will be big for the run in. They’ll finally head home next week with seven of their back nine in Canada. The Free Jacks, ATL, and RNY start the back half of the year in pole position, but the Arrows are not done.
Seattle Can’t Create Space on the Table
The Seawolves were the first team to play their eighth game. The fact they haven’t had a bye yet was more than apparent. A game hosting the Giltinis was a chance to create a bit of space going into the second half. Instead, they let Hollywood go north for a week.
For Seattle, the break is much needed. They have all the talent needed to regain the Shield. Coach Clarke will need to give his men plenty of rest, but he’ll also need to scheme a way to get this team back on track before LA overtakes them on the table.
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