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If there is such a thing as a must-win game this early in the Major League Rugby season, this is it. Austin Elite have lost all three of their games at Dell Diamond and with only three left at their new home they simply must salvage something before hitting the road. Unfortunately they’ll have to turn things around against the Glendale Raptors, a frustrated but still dangerous side that made the final in 2018.
Alain Hyardet has responded to the disappointing start by making five changes to the starting lineup. Two come in the pack as Juan Echeverría and Josh Larsen return from international duty to reclaim their spots at tighthead prop and second row respectively. Mason Pedersen and Dom Bailey drop to the bench and Rikus Zwart moves to the flank, where he spent most of the game against Toronto anyway after an early positional switch with Kyle Breytenbach.
The backs have three key changes. Tim Guillimin is benched for the first time as Rodrigo Silva forms a South American halfback partnership with Marcelo Torrealba. Andrés Vilaseca is back to play inside center and could take over the kicking duties after succeeding on all four attempts for Uruguay against Chile last Friday. Peni Tagive has recovered from a slight knock to take up a spot on the left wing and Soheyl Jaoudat reverts to his preferred fullback spot.
An important figure makes his return on the bench. US Eagles hooker Peter Malcolm is set to play his first MLR game having recovered from a knee injury that kept him sidelined for the best part of a year. He will wait his turn patiently but should make an appearance early in the second half if not at halftime.
Glendale have had a week off to ruminate after successive defeats to start the season. It’s an unfamiliar spot for the Raptors, long considered one of the premier outfits in American rugby. Dave Williams has opted for three changes and one positional switch in the starting lineup.
A change at hooker sees Zach Fenoglio get his first start of the season in place of Chad Gough. Kody O’Neil is recalled at lock at the expense of Brendan Daly who drops to the bench. The back row composition stays the same but Connor Cook moves to the side of the scrum with Will Munro shifting to eightman.
There is only one change in the backs but it’s a big one. Robbie Petzer finds himself on the bench this week with Ata Malifa selected to start at flyhalf. One further alteration to the match day squad sees Malon Al-Jiboori return from Eagles training to cover loose forward.
It’s hard to believe but between the two sides there are zero wins from five matches. Austin can point to different factors but simply haven’t been good enough, and the same can be said of Glendale. Without their starting halfback pair of Shaun Davies and Will Magie the Raptors look particularly vulnerable.
The change in halfbacks for the Elite represents a dramatic shift in approach. Torrealba and Silva are both attack-minded players rather than the more traditional kicking duo of Romera and Guillimin. Up front the size of the back row should be a concern for Glendale at the set piece.
While the Raptors enter as heavy favorites, that tag is largely based on reputation. With neither team in form this one comes down to who makes the least mistakes. Glendale’s big game experience gives them the edge but Austin’s desperation will keep the game close into the final quarter.
Kickoff is set for 6pm local time, 4pm Pacific, 7pm Eastern. Those in the USA can watch on CBS Sports Network. A live stream will be available to viewers elsewhere on the official MLR Facebook page.
AUSTIN ELITE
1 Simon Courcoul, 2 Tiaan Erasmus, 3 Juan Echeverría, 4 Ben Mitchell (capt.), 5 Josh Larsen, 6 Kyle Breytenbach, 7 Rikus Zwart, 8 Travis Larsen, 9 Marcelo Torrealba, 10 Rodrigo Silva, 11 Peni Tagive, 12 Andrés Vilaseca, 13 Zinzan Elan-Puttick, 14 Reece Czarnecki, 15 Soheyl Jaoudat
Replacements: 16 Peter Malcolm, 17 Chris Schade, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Dylan Pieterse, 20 Dom Bailey, 21 Mickaël Romera, 22 Timothée Guillimin, 23 Sione Fangaiuiha
GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Blake Rogers, 2 Zach Fenoglio, 3 Marco Fepulea’i, 4 Kody O’Neil, 5 Luke White (capt.), 6 Connor Cook, 7 Peter Dahl, 8 Will Munro, 9 Carlo de Nysschen, 10 Ata Malifa, 11 Harley Davidson, 12 Chad London, 13 Mika Kruse, 14 John Ryberg, 15 Dylan Taikato-Simpson
Replacements: 16 Chad Gough, 17 Max Lum, 18 Kelepi Fifita, 19 Brendan Daly, 20 Malon Al-Jiboori, 21 Mickey Bateman, 22 Robbie Petzer, 23 Nick Johnson
Date: Sunday, February 17
Venue: Dell Diamond, Round Rock
Kickoff: 18:00 local (16:00 Pacific, 19:00 Eastern)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Facebook
