South African spoils Toronto's Major League Rugby debut

NEWS: South African Tristan Blewett scored a 73rd-minute try to lift the New Orleans Gold over visiting Toronto 36-31 in the 2019 Major League Rugby season opener.

The MLR’s second season kicked off with the league’s first Canadian club, the Toronto Arrows, rallying for 24 points in the second half but falling short despite two tries from Canadian wing Dan Moor.

After a penalty try was awarded to the Arrows for a deliberate knock-on near the tryline, the Gold seized a 36-26 lead when Blewett recovered his own kick to score.

Canadian John Sheridan added a final try for the Arrows to trim the final margin.

The nine-team league added clubs for 2019 in Toronto and New York and shifted the schedule to earlier in the calendar year.

Toronto will play all eight away matches first to avoid harsh winter conditions before concluding with eight home games from April to June.

Agence France-Presse