NOLA Gold Falls in Tight Battle with Rugby Atlanta

NOLA Gold Falls in Tight Battle with Rugby Atlanta

Atlanta, GA – NOLA Gold Rugby was held out of the win column for the third week in a row, this time against Rugby Atlanta. The Gold lads flashed moments of inspiration, ingenuity, and industry, but were bested 29-16 by the Atlantans when the full time whistle blew.

The Gold got off to a fast start in this one, converting two successive penalty kicks to go ahead 6-0. Atlanta promptly responded with a try to put the men in green up 7-6. NOLA reclaimed the lead in the 27th minute with a slippery run by Jordan Jackson-Hope that ended in the opposition’s tryzone. This try came off the back of a set piece scrum deep in Atlanta territory – a point of improvement from the first two weeks. Atlanta responded with a try of their own to send the score to 16-14 at halftime.

Unfortunately, the second half did not yield a wealth of scoring for the Gold like the first half did. NOLA failed to add to their tally, while Atlanta efficiently converted their opportunities to claim victory, 29-16. One such opportunity came in the form of an intercept try, eerily similar to the intercept try that the Gold suffered at the hands of the Houston SaberCats the week prior. While this isn’t the result the Gold wanted, there are obvious signs of improvement from week to week, especially in the ball-handling and scrumming departments.

Now sitting at 0-3, the Gold have an uphill journey towards the playoffs. The Eastern Conference, which NOLA is in, is competitive but not insurmountable — one hot streak is all this team needs to reignite playoff aspirations. NOLA will have to pick themselves up for a difficult clash with Rugby New York scheduled for Sunday, March 12th, at 2:00 PM at the Gold Mine. New York is sure to bring a strong squad, so the Gold will have to dig deep to find their best form.