‍📰 HEADLINES

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MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY

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Honors: First XV Week 5 (Major League Rugby)

• Takeaway: Wing Noah Brown, hooker Facundo Gattas, wing John Rizzo, and N0.8 Samuel Tuifa were among the standout performers in MLR's First XV for Week 5.

• Player of the Week: Houston SaberCats flanker Emmanuel Albert earned Player of the Week honors for his efforts for helping Houston improve to 5-0.  

• Team of the Week: The San Diego Legion earned Team of the Week honors for their fourth straight win.

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NEW ZEALAND

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All Blacks: All Blacks Great Sam Whitelock to Retire as Most Capped Player in NZ History (The Guardian)

• Takeaway: Lock Sam Whitelock announced he will retire from professional rugby at the end of the Top 14 season.

• Milestone: Whitelock, who earned 153 caps for the All Blacks, retires as the most capped player in New Zealand history.

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📊 MLR POWER RANKINGS

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The Rankings: With four teams teams on bye, there wasn't a whole lot of movement in the Power Rankings. OGDC and San Diego both drop one spot despite their wins, while Dallas gains two spots despite their loss.

1. Houston SaberCats
2. Seattle Seawolves
3. New England Free Jacks
4. NOLA Gold
5. Dallas Jackals (+2)
6. San Diego Legion (-1)
7. Old Glory DC (-1)
8. Chicago Hounds
9. RFCLA
10. Utah Warriors
11. Miami Sharks
12. Anthem RC

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🏉 QUICK HITS

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Red Roses: England Prop Vickii Cornborough Retires from Internationals (BBC Sport)

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‍RFU: Bath's Van Graan Calls on Authorities to 'Simplify' Rugby after Sin-Bin Error (The Guardian)

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‍Rugby Europe: Sweden Men on Verge of Making History (World Rugby)

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‍Scotland: Scottish Rugby 'Still Has Confidence' in Head Coach Gregor Townsend (BBC Sport)

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‍USA Rugby South: Massive Panther Academy Presence at Tropical 7s (The Guardian)