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It’s a must-win match for two playoff contenders at Infinity Park on Friday evening. The Glendale Raptors have slipped behind Rugby United New York in the standings and with just five games to play, falling any further may prove insurmountable for last year’s finalists.
Contributing to Glendale’s downfall was a poor performance in San Diego last week that saw them fall by a record number to the Legion. The previous meeting between the Raptors and RUNY ended with a convincing win for the home side in Brooklyn. Now it’s up to Glendale to return the favor.
There is just one personnel change to the forwards this week. Will Munro drops out as Malon Al-Jiboori is given just his second start of the season. He lines up on the blindside flank with Brendan Daly switching to lock. Peter Dahl continues at openside in the absence of injured Hanco Germishuys.
The backs have two significant changes. Will Magie is left on the bench with Ata Malifa given the start at flyhalf, while Mika Kruse is recalled in the midfield at the expense of Robbie Petzer. Campbell Johnstone is named as a three-quarter reserve, still to make his Major League Rugby debut after being an unused replacement against NOLA last month.
New York’s backline has been decimated by injuries this season and even those judged fit for duty on Friday are well short of full capacity. Marcus Walsh starts ahead of Mike Petri at scrumhalf and there is a new midfield as Will Leonard returns from a shoulder injury and Ben Foden moves up from fullback after Mark O’Keeffe’s ankle gave out against Utah.
Luke Hume slides to fullback with Mike St. Claire on the wing. New signing Marcus Satavu makes his first MLR appearance as outside back cover on the bench. Gavan D’Amore-Morrison has played exclusively as a left wing to date but will revert to flanker duty if called upon as a replacement.
With Petri on the bench it’s Dylan Fawsitt who captains the side. The Eagles hooker is restored to his preferred position after playing No8 last week. Matt Hughston comes in at the back of the scrum, and Trevor Cassidy returns in the second row with Alex MacDonald shifting to the blindside flank.
In terms of health, Glendale are undoubtedly better off than New York. Dahl and Malifa are now in the twilight of their careers but have been called up on frequently this season and performed admirably. That experience will be leaned upon heavily against a RUNY side that has found ways to win when confronted with adversity.
The New York scrum was given a dressing-down by San Diego but remains capable of putting Glendale under pressure. Their driving maul has also proved a consistently effective weapon against all comers, and that forward superiority suggests they should be considered favorites.
Desperation can be a powerful ally, however, and Glendale certainly have that on their side. Expect a full-blooded contest that only finds its resolution in the closing moments.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm local time, 6:30pm Pacific, 9:30pm Eastern. The match will be aired live on CBS Sports Network. International viewers can access a live stream on the official MLR Facebook page.
GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Noah Barker, 2 Zach Fenoglio, 3 Marco Fepulea’i, 4 Brendan Daly, 5 Luke White, 6 Malon Al-Jiboori, 7 Peter Dahl, 8 Murphy Taramai, 9 Shaun Davies (capt.), 10 Ata Malifa, 11 John Ryberg, 12 Chad London, 13 Mika Kruse, 14 Harley Davidson, 15 Dylan Taikato-Simpson
Replacements: 16 Chad Gough, 17 Blake Rogers, 18 Kelepi Fifita, 19 Kody O’Neil, 20 Connor Cook, 21 Carlo de Nysschen, 22 Will Magie, 23 Campbell Johnstone
RUGBY UNITED NEW YORK
1 Anthony Parry, 2 Dylan Fawsitt (capt.), 3 James Rochford, 4 Trevor Cassidy, 5 Nate Brakeley, 6 Alex MacDonald, 7 John Quill, 8 Matt Hughston, 9 Marcus Walsh, 10 Cathal Marsh, 11 Connor Wallace-Sims, 12 Will Leonard, 13 Ben Foden, 14 Mike St. Claire, 15 Luke Hume
Replacements: 16 Mike Brown, 17 Kirk Hamilton, 18 Chris Sullivan, 19 Gavan D’Amore-Morrison, 20 Kyle Sumsion, 21 Mike Petri, 22 Harry Bennett, 23 Marcus Satavu
Date: Friday, April 26
Venue: Infinity Park, Glendale
Kickoff: 19:30 local (18:30 Pacific, 21:30 Eastern)
Referee: Derek Summers (USAR)
Assistants: Sam Grove-White (SRU) & Gavin McCandless (USAR)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Facebook
