NOLA Gold drops first-ever playoff game to Chicago Hounds

METAIRIE, La. ( WGNO ) — New Orleans sports fans got to do something Sunday night they’ve never done before–cheer on their rugby team in a playoff game at home in the Shrine on Airline.

But the night didn’t end the way the fans–or the team–had hoped. The NOLA Gold lost its first playoff game to the Chicago Hounds 21-45.

The Gold started off the right way. The team scored on a penalty kick, then went up 8-0 in the first half when midfielder Jordan Jackson-Hope fooled the Hounds defense with a quick pickup, running in untouched for the first try of the game.

After the Hounds scored 13 straight points, outside back Julian Roberts snatched up a loose ball and scored a try, tying the game at 13.

The half ended with the Gold down 13-16.

In the second half, after winning a line-out, Gold back row Jonah Mau’u scored on a tackle-breaking run to get the Gold within four points, 21-26. But, that was all the scoring the Gold had in them. The Hounds tacked on 19 more points to win 21-45.

It was a tough loss for the team that went on a run at the end of the season to qualify for its first post-season in franchise history. Coach Cory Brown said his team struggled with discipline under the bright lights of the big game. “We just weren’t really adapting very well,” Brown said. “Guys were trying to make plays. Guys were trying to make reads, instead of just trying to trust the process, and trusting the guys around them–trying to make things happen.”

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