New York finished as Plate runners-up at the Limerick 7s after losing to Moscow 36-5. The team seemed tired after a long weekend of play and once again had trouble tackling. However, it wasn't all bad for the club as they did beat the Blue Bulls 15-14 in the Plate semi-finals.
First up was the Plate semi-final against the Blue Bulls. Unfortunately our stream broke and we weren't able to see the match. However, from what we could ascertain the Blue Bulls went in front before Carlin Isles scored. The final ended up a close one with New York winning 15-14. New York had three tries, all unconverted, while the Blue Bulls had two converted tries.
Take the jump to read more.
As they had done all weekend New York started out with the majority of the possession but couldn't turn it into points. Instead, Moscow were the first to score thanks to lethal counterattack play. They should then add another try to take a 12-0 lead.
New York's breakthrough finally came when Garrett Bender found the corner. Carlins Isles sucked in the defense and a few passes out wide found Bender for the finish. There was some question whether he was in touch but it still counted and New York found themselves only a try down.
Unfortunately it was downhill from there as a combination of poor tackling and and clinical finishing from Moscow saw the final ballon to 36-5.
It was a disappointing finish for New York but pretty reflective of their overall play. Players like Carlin Isles and Will Holder stood out but others that you would expect to make an impact, like Seamus Kelly and Pono Haitsuka fell flat. Overall the team seemed to hesistant and when results didn't go their way lost confidence. The good news for the team is that a lot of players will have the opportunity to rebound next week in London.