Despite a hard fought attack and the continued excellence of Kurt Morath’s boot, San Diego Breakers again fell short in what was to be another thriller at Torrero Stadium against San Francisco Rush, setting up the first of two great matchups in Pro Rugby USA this weekend

The first of two match ups this weekend saw the bottom of the table Rush provide consistent pressure in a match punctuated by powerful running, solid support play and further proof that in a game like rugby there are no easy victories.

With the recent tragedy in Orlando still fresh in the words mind it was fitting for the match to commence with a moment of silence to honour those fallen, before kickoff which saw both teams coming out with a point to prove.

Scrappy play from the Breakers saw multiple knock ons early in the first before Sione Tuihalamaka was on the receiving end of a yellow card which saw the Breakers down to 14 men, denting the attack.

That said the Breakers were able to maintain the pressure before the Rush Orene Ai’i sliced through to set up a stunning try to Jeremy Lenaerts in the tenth minute.

Morath uncharacteristically missed putting the first Breaker points up midway through the half after San Francisco conceded a penalty, but was able to regain himself shortly after to slot the first of his penalties in a match which would see Morath create more milestones, becoming the first kicker to score over 100 points for a US rugby team in a season that has already seen him go from strength to strength.

San Francisco were however relentless in attack. Former All Black Mils Muliaina linking up with Michael Haley for the second try of the match following a beautiful step and support play from San Francisco.

The tries kept coming, with Volney Rouse touching down in the 30th minute before Ben Leatigaga crashed over the line to put a much needed try up for the Breakers.

San Francisco continued it’s hammer down approach, with Bill Fukofuka pushing the margin out to 10 points before the Breakers hit back late in the game through Pono Haitsuka. Despite a valiant fight back from the Breakers though, San Francisco were just too powerful, bringing home victory with a final score of 24 -19.

The second big match up saw the undefeated Denver Stampede at home to the Ohio Aviators. Ohio came into the match strongly after downing the Breakers last week at Obetz field, while Denver sought to maintain their streak after last weeks bye.

From early in the proceedings though it was obvious Ohio was not going to give Denver an easy ride, with the Aviators notching up early points through the boot of Shaun Davies penalty goal, and a try to Filippo Ferrarini which saw Ohio quickly out to a 10-0 lead.

Spike Davis continued the Aviator onslaught, scoring the second try of the match for the Aviators, while Shaun Davis maintained his accuracy with the boot throughout the half.

Jamie Macintosh sparked a response from the Stampede, but the half time break saw Denver trailing 24-6 in the face of a ruthless Aviator attack.

Former Wallabies star Temana Tahu provided some respite for the Stampede, linking up with Martin Knoetze who crossed the line to bring Denver firmly back into the game, before the Aviators struck again through Alex Elkins and Roland Suniula which saw the Aviator fly out to a 41 -13 lead.

A further try to Ahmad Harajly saw the Aviators well and truly stamp their authority on the match, even with a late try from Zach Fenoglio Denver were unable to return fire, and ultimately dropped to their first defeat 48 – 20.

This victory for Ohio is their second major scalp in as many weeks, which makes next weeks match up between Ohio and san Francisco at Obetz field even more exciting as Ohio looks to build on their momentum and potentially bring some serious upheaval to the Pro Rugby USA table.

One thing’s for sure, in this series nothing is to be taken for granted, and theres still a lot of rugby left to be played.

Kyle Willoughby is a New Zealand based rugby writer, Boston Sports fan and former media manager for the Tongan Rugby Union operating internationally to share rugby news from the USA around the world.  Follow Kyle’s Twitter feed for more rugby and sports tweets.

If you have any specific questions you’d like me to cover drop me a message on twitter or email me[email protected]

Photo Credit: Pro Rugby USA via YouTube