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The Seattle Seawolves now have a win under their belts but there is no time for the defending champions to rest on their laurels. On Saturday evening they will look to make it two in a row against the Utah Warriors in an West Conference clash that could be a little damp with scattered showers on the forecast.
It won’t be enough to delay kickoff this time, and the Seawolves will be conscious of getting off to a faster start than they did against New England. Kees Lensing has made four changes to the starting lineup with a growing list of injury absentees.
There are two rotations in the pack with Mike Shepherd and Vili Toluta’u coming in for Stephan Coetzee and Eric Duechle respectively. FP Pelser returns from injury to start in the second row at the expense of Jérémy Lenaerts. Jake Ilnicki is fit to take up a spot among the reserves.
The backs are more settled with only one change as Brock Staller jumps straight back into the side on his favored right wing. South African flyhalf Ryno Eksteen has at last shaken off a preseason injury and is set to make his Major League Rugby debut, with Suli Tamaivena another uncapped player on the bench.
Chris Latham will have been disappointed in his squad’s performance for the first 75 minutes of the loss at Colorado. In response he has made six changes, with captain Dwayne Polataivao the biggest casualty. Michael Baska makes his first start for Utah in a new-look halfback pairing with Canadian international Robbie Povey, who moves up from fullback for the injured Hagen Schulte.
The midfield revolves again as Tyler Fisher in at outside center with Dom Toluono dropped to the bench. Josh Whippy is recalled albeit on the left wing. At his usual fullback spot is Fiji Sevens star Vatemo Ravouvou, now set to make his first appearance of the season after receiving visa clearance.
There are two changes up front. John Cullen is back into the second row and given the captaincy. Ara Elkington is rewarded for a positive contribution off the bench last weekend with his first start of the season. Sama Malolo is named as reserve hooker after starting on the flank against the Raptors.
Both sides field formidable lineups though Utah are effectively starting their second string halfbacks. Both Baska and Povey are attack-minded, but they lack the big game experience of JP Smith and Ben Cima who were in outstanding form last weekend. The Seawolves have the stronger scrum and still have a point to prove. Take the home side in a physical confrontation.
Kickoff is set for 6pm local time, 7pm Mountain, 9pm Eastern. Local broadcasts will be available on Root Sports in Seattle and KMYU in Utah. ESPN+ will carry the game nationwide. Those located outside the USA can access a live stream on the official MLR Facebook page.
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Djustice Sears-Duru, 2 Mike Shepherd, 3 Tim Metcher, 4 FP Pelser, 5 Brad Tucker, 6 Vili Toluta’u, 7 Nakai Penny, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 Ben Cima, 11 Peter Tiberio, 12 Shalom Suniula, 13 David Busby, 14 Brock Staller, 15 Mat Turner
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Kellen Gordon, 18 Jake Ilnicki, 19 Jérémy Lenaerts, 20 Eric Duechle, 21 Ryno Eksteen, 22 Joey Iosefa, 23 Suli Tamaivena
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Franco van den Berg, 2 Veremalua Vugakoto, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 John Cullen (capt.), 5 Matt Jensen, 6 Bailey Wilson, 7 Ara Elkington, 8 Jurie van Vuuren, 9 Michael Baska, 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Josh Whippy, 12 Calvin Whiting, 13 Tyler Fisher, 14 Gannon Moore, 15 Vatemo Ravouvou
Replacements: 16 Sama Malolo, 17 Huluholo Mo’ungaloa, 18 Kalolo Tuiloma, 19 Saia Uhila, 20 Puna Vuli, 21 Dwayne Polataivao, 22 Dom Toluono, 23 Jared Whippy
Date: Saturday, March 7
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 18:00 local (19:00 Mountain, 21:00 Eastern)
Referee: Henrique Platais (Brazil)
Assistants: Austin Reed (USA) & Denny Russell (USA)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Facebook, KMYU, Root Sports
