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The Glendale Raptors bring their Major League Rugby preseason to a close with a friendly against New York Athletic Club of the American Rugby Premiership on Saturday. It’s a long trip from Colorado to Travers Island but it won’t be just for laughs, NYAC have selected a strong side with the Raptors also obliging for the fans.
No less than 10 players in the NYAC starting lineup have featured for Rugby United New York in recent weeks, including seven of the forward pack. Welsh second row Gethin Davies is the only exception though he was part of the team that lost to the Houston SaberCats by only a single point in mid-February. In fact there are only five changes to the team that impressed at Constellation Field.
Eagles lock Nate Brakeley captains the side with Australian flanker Nick Wolley replacing Mike Webb in the back row. Alex Hodgkinson fills in for the injured Harry Bennett at flyhalf, the two former teammates with the Sacramento Express in PRO Rugby. Joe Kelly and David Haigh start at wing and fullback, respectively, with Charles Guiraud and Jack Fitzpatrick absent.
Glendale have mixed-and-matched with six Eagles named alongside four players getting their first start of the preseason. Nick Kwasniewski packs down at tighthead prop with Devin Vaughter and Brian Wanless named on the flanks. Nick Johnson steps in at fullback.
Other changes from the team that beat Utah see Luke White rotating with Blake Rogers at loosehead prop and Grigor Kerdikoshvili getting a look in the second row. Veteran outside back Max Statler appears on a Raptors team sheet for the first time in 2018.
Expect Glendale to win but NYAC have the talent to make it close with bragging rights on the line. This also presents an opportunity for both Raptors and RUNY hopefuls of earning starting spots with the MLR regular season just two weeks away and New York heading to Toronto next weekend for a date with the Ontario Arrows at York Lions Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 1pm local (Eastern) time. A curtain-raiser between NYAC ‘B’ and the Fairfield Yankees begins at 11am. No live broadcast is planned for the match.
NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB
1 Kirk Hamilton, 2 Anthony Parry, 3 Brian McKellar, 4 Gethin Davies, 5 Nate Brakeley (capt.), 6 Nick Wolley, 7 James Denise, 8 Ross Deacon, 9 Marcus Walsh, 10 Alex Hodgkinson, 11 Greg Voigt, 12 Quentin Pradere, 13 Seamus Kelly, 14 Joe Kelly, 15 David Haigh
Replacements: tbc
GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Luke White, 2 Zach Fenoglio, 3 Nick Kwasniewski, 4 Grigor Kerdiksohvili, 5 Ben Landry, 6 Devin Vaughter, 7 Brian Wanless, 8 John Quill, 9 Shaun Davies (capt.), 10 Will Magie, 11 John Ryberg, 12 Bryce Campbell, 13 Mika Kruse, 14 Harley Davidson, 15 Nick Johnson
Replacements: 16 James Del Bozque, 17 Blake Rogers, 18 Kelepi Fifita, 19 Connor Cook, 20 Casey Rock, 21 Jake Christmann, 22 Ata Malifa, 23 Max Statler
Date: Saturday, April 7
Venue: Travers Island, New Rochelle
Kickoff: 13:00 local (10:00 Pacific)
Broadcasts: n/a
