Malcolm Dominates in Win 0ver Chicago
The Toronto Arrows earned their first win of the 2023 MLR season by defeating the Chicago Hounds 27-26. It was a dramatic finish as Sam Malcolm hit a drop goal in the 77th minute to pull ahead by one. The Arrows defence then locked it down during a frantic and confusing final minute to leave SeatGeek Stadium with 4 points. Chicago had a penalty try and another from Maclean Jones with Luke Carty and Chris Mattina combining for 14 points off the boot. Meanwhile, Malcolm scored all 27 points for the Arrows!
As the game went on it became clear that Sam Malcolm was the story! Malcolm scored 2 tries, 1 conversion, 4 penalties, and the game winning drop goal in what is arguably the best individual performance in the history of Major League Rugby. In rugby terms, scoring a try, a penalty, a conversion, and a drop goal is called a full house. According to Bryan Ray, Malcolm became just the third player in MLR history to achieve the feat.
The fascinating thing about his perfomance is that Malcolm did not get off to a great start. After the Arrows pack earned a penalty in the scrum, Malcolm’s kick sailed through the in-goal area giving Chicago the ball back. However, former Arrows captain Dan Moor always said that Malcolm has the heart of a lion and that heart would be on full display for the remainder of the match.
Malcolm would get the Arrows on the board first, as the attack looked in fine form. Following a scrum Ross Braude sent a pass to Malcolm who found Ciaran Breen. Avery Oitomen had a great offload to Mitch Richardson who chipped ahead. Malcolm followed up in support and when Richardson regathered the ball Malcolm was right there to finish the try he started. This try also featured two nice dummy lines from Noel Reid and Tautalatasi Tasi as the ball made its way down the line.
The backs would strike later in match, once again following up some great work by the forwards. Reid would slip through a gap in the Chicago defence and offload to Tasi. Malcolm ran a perfect support line and was there for Tasi’s offload to finish the try. The Arrows forwards were brilliant in the phases leading up to this try with Travis Larsen, Mitch Eadie, Ramon Ayarza, and Adrian Wadden all having great carries with support in the rucks that followed.
In the 2nd half Malcolm traded penalties with Chris Mattina as the Hounds pulled ahead 26-24 in the 74th minute. Malcolm then showed that all that snow and ice pouring down went directly into his veins. Gene Syminton and Lucas Rumball had carries that put the Arrows in front of the posts and Malcolm dropped back in the pocket. Will Grant made a clean pass allowing Malcolm to slot the game winning drop goal to cap off the legendary performance.
However, it’s not just the point total that is impressive about Malcolm’s play. Malcolm was brilliant with the boot in open play too. Combined with some great box kicks from Braude, the Arrows were able to use the kicking game to completely control the territory and possesion throughtout the match. Malcolm and Braude were able to always ensure that the Arrows were playing in the right part of the park when it mattered most.
Malcolm also linked up well with a new midfield pairing in Reid and Tasi. Tasi was especilly impressive as he had a number of massive carries frequently dragging defenders with him. The trio were able to constantly find gaps form their teammates and always seemed to be in support of one another as the match went on.
Over his years in MLR, Malcolm has come to be known as “Sammy the Boot”. However, perhaps the most underrated part of his game is his defence. Malcolm made plenty of great tackles often coming after a Hounds line break. Malcolm often found himself around the breakdown as well. He always seems to be in the perfect position for whatever is happing on the pitch. Ultimately, the point totals will be remembered forever, but it is Malcolm’s ability to do every single small detail of the game so perfectly that makes him one of the best players in MLR.
Beyond the legendary Malcolm perferformance, there will be plenty for the Arrows to be happy with. The set piece was much improved. The scrum was able to earn penalties with or against the feed all night and use the scrum as a platform for great attacking pieces. The front row of Lolani Falevia, Ramon Ayarza, and Tyler Rowland were great in the scrum, but also racked up the meters, tackles, and ruck arrivals. The lineout was solid, as Ayarza found steady hands in Mason Flesch, Travis Larsen, and Adrian Wadden.
The defence was in good form as well. The Arrows allowed one try to Jones that was setup by an unreal kick to touch from Carty. The other was a penalty try that was awarded as Lucas Rumball attempted to tackle Jones as the ball arrived from a Carty offload. It was a bit of a 50/50 call that went against the Arrows. Beyond those two tries the Chicago attack did not have too much to say throughout the match. Part of that may be due to the Arrows’ domince of the territory and possession.
The Arrows defence was also able to withstand playing down a man for 30 minutes of the match. Rumball and Reid had yellow cards back to back in the first half, with James O’Neill reciving a yellow late in the second half. Fortuantely, the Arrows kept their foot on the gas and were able score points of their own during those yellow cards. Ultimately, the Arrows were only -3 during those 30 minutes.
One final standout performance that I would like to mention was Mitch Eadie. Eadie seemed to be at nearly every breakdown, made his tackles, and had plenty of solid carries throughout the match.
The Arrows will be back in action against Old Glory DC next Saturday at 7pm ET.