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Rugby United New York hit a stumbling block in their quest for a playoff spot as they suffered a last-minute defeat at Glendale last weekend. This weekend it’s back home and a chance for redemption as the Houston SaberCats come calling late Sunday afternoon.
Three key forwards come back into the New York lineup for the match. Paddy Ryan is fit to start at tighthead prop with James Rochford switching back to the loosehead side. Kyle Sumsion starts on the blindside flank and Ross Deacon returns at No8 with John Quill sliding to his more familiar openside flank.
There is no sign of Ben Foden for the first time this season but regular captain Mike Petri is recalled at scrumhalf. Mark O’Keeffe is back from injury to partner Will Leonard in the midfield, and Harry Bennett starts at fullback after making an impact off the bench against the Raptors. Mike St. Claire gets the nod on the right wing.
Luke Hume settles for a spot alongside Marcus Satavu. Matt Wirken is back in the squad to provide specialist second row cover, and new loan signing Sean McNulty is set to make his Major League Rugby debut as backup hooker after arriving from the New England Free Jacks this week.
Houston will play their first match after the removal of Justin Fitzpatrick as Head Coach during the week. Paul Emerick fills the gap in an interim capacity. He has made minimal but notable changes to the side.
Paul Mullen is ruled out so Charlie Connolly starts at tighthead with Jake Turnbull named on the bench. Luke Beauchamp swithes to openside flanker and Alejandro Nieto starts on the blindside with Cecil Garber the odd man out on the bench.
Returning from suspension is Josua Vici but it’s not on the wing where he starts. Emerick will experiment with the Fijian dynamo, naming him in a formidable midfield alongside Thretton Palamo. To accommodate, Osea Kolinisau is pushed back to fullback with Zach Pangelinan settling for a reserve spot.
Asking the SaberCats to recover enough confidence under the circumstances is a tall order but the backline does have enough firepower to cause New York problems. The RUNY scrum has not been as dominant in recent weeks and Houston will fancy their chances. It’s the team cohesion and strength of the forwards in open play that lean strongly towards the home side, making New York clear favorites but it’s a visiting side with nothing to lose.
Kickoff is set for 5pm local time, 2pm Pacific. The match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. Those located outside the USA can access the live stream on the MLR Facebook page.
RUGBY UNITED NEW YORK
1 James Rochford, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Trevor Cassidy, 5 Nate Brakeley, 6 Kyle Sumsion, 7 John Quill, 8 Ross Deacon, 9 Mike Petri (capt.), 10 Cathal Marsh, 11 Connor Wallace-Sims, 12 Will Leonard, 13 Mark O’Keeffe, 14 Mike St. Claire, 15 Harry Bennett
Replacements: 16 Sean McNulty, 17 Anthony Parry, 18 Chris Sullivan, 19 Matt Wirken, 20 Alex MacDonald, 21 Marcus Walsh, 22 Marcus Satavu, 23 Luke Hume
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Mateo Sanguinetti, 2 Pat O’Toole, 3 Charlie Connolly, 4 Matt Trouville (capt.), 5 Diego Magno, 6 Alejandro Nieto, 7 Luke Beauchamp, 8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, 9 Connor Murphy, 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Malacchi Esdale, 12 Thretton Palamo, 13 Josua Vici, 14 Deion Mikesell, 15 Osea Kolinisau
Replacements: 16 Amro Gouda, 17 Jamie Dever, 18 Jake Turnbull, 19 Victor Comptat, 20 Cecil Garber, 21 Chris Parker, 22 Zach Pangelinan, 23 Joe Kelly
Date: Sunday, May 5
Venue: MCU Park, Brooklyn
Kickoff: 17:00 local (14:00 Pacific)
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU)
Assistants: Gavin McCandless (USAR) & Butch Neuenschwander (USAR)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Facebook
