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The fifth week of the Major League Rugby season starts in Marietta where the Toronto Arrows will face the Seattle Seawolves on Saturday morning. It’s not the first time the Arrows have played at Lupo Family Field this season but on this occasion they will be considered the home side.
There is a rich history between the two sides with this the fifth meeting. It’s an even split so far with the Arrows claiming the most recent contest, a comprehensive victory for Toronto at Seattle’s Starfire Stadium last season. The Arrows were also winners in the only game played in Toronto.
Last weekend’s results were very different for the two. Toronto were neck-and-neck with the league-leading Giltinis until just before halftime when a Gastón Cortes yellow card contributed to a 21-point scoring spree for LA. The former Pumas prop has dropped to the bench this week.
Tyler Rowland steps in at tighthead with Andrew Quattrin swapping out for Jack McRogers at hooker. A surprise choice at lock sees Mason Flesch handed his pro debut in place of Adrian Wadden, who is also resigned to bench duty. Marcello Wainwright returns to the match day squad as Mike Sheppard sits out for precautionary reasons.
In the backs there is just one change as Patrick Parfrey runs out at inside center at the expense of Guiseppe du Toit. Leandro Leivas is fit to take his place among the reserves where there is also a notable return for Spencer Jones. The highly-rated midfielder missed the entire 2020 campaign with injury.
Seattle celebrated their first win of the season against the Warriors in Utah. They welcome back Ben Cima but it’s fullback where he lines up instead of his usual flyhalf spot, with Mat Turner shifting to the wing. JP Smith is out due to concussion protocol leaving only one specialist scrumhalf in the match day squad.
Up front there are three changes, two in the front row. Mike Shepherd and Jake Ilnicki start at hooker and tighthead prop respectively with Namibia international Obert Nortjé set to debut from the bench. Eric Duechle gets his first start of the season on the blindside flank with Andrew Durutalo shifting to openside.
Toronto will be unsatisfied with their effort against LA, particularly after turning their fortunes around against DC the week prior. A return to form is on the cards with a message clearly sent that no player is safe from the axe if they don’t meet expectations. The good news is for the first time this season they will not have traveled in the lead-up to the game.
It’s the opposite for Seattle, who must trek across the country for a game now scheduled to be played in the wee hours of the morning for the West Coast. The time difference is a challenge at the best of times. In these circumstances it should prove decisive. Take the Arrows with their East Coast advantage.
Kickoff is set for 10:30am local time, 7:30am Pacific. Live broadcasts will be available on Root Sports in Seattle, TSN 2 in Canada, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
TORONTO ARROWS
1 Cole Keith, 2 Jack McRogers, 3 Tyler Rowland, 4 Mason Flesch, 5 Paul Ciulini, 6 Tomás de la Vega, 7 Lucas Rumball (co-capt.), 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Ross Braude, 10 Tayler Adams, 11 Manuel Montero, 12 Patrick Parfrey, 13 Ben LeSage (co-capt.), 14 Gastón Mieres, 15 Joaquín Tuculet
Replacements: 16 Pat Lynott, 17 Andrew Quattrin, 18 Gastón Cortes, 19 Adrian Wadden, 20 Marcello Wainwright, 21 Jason Higgins, 22 Leandro Leivas, 23 Spencer Jones
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Djustice Sears-Duru, 2 Mike Shepherd, 3 Jake Ilnicki, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 5 FP Pelser, 6 Eric Duechle, 7 Andrew Durutalo, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 Devereaux Ferris, 10 Kieran Joyce, 11 Sitiveni Tamaivena, 12 George Barton, 13 Ross Neal, 14 Mat Turner, 15 Ben Cima
Replacements: 16 Obert Nortjé, 17 Huluholo Mo’ungaloa, 18 Tim Metcher, 19 Les Soloai, 20 Tommy Clark, 21 Aaron Matthews, 22 Seta Tuilevuka, 23 Juan Pablo Aguirre
Date: Saturday, April 17
Venue: Lupo Family Field, Marietta
Kickoff: 10:30 local (07:30 Pacific)
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistants: Henrique Platais (Brazil) & Cisco Lopez (USA)
Broadcasts: Root Sports, The Rugby Network, TSN 2
Historical Results
2020-02-22 – Seattle Seawolves 17, Toronto Arrows 39 (Starfire Stadium)
2019-06-09 – Seattle Seawolves 30, Toronto Arrows 17 (Starfire Stadium)
2019-04-28 – Toronto Arrows 29, Seattle Seawolves 7 (York Alumni Field)
2019-02-17 – Seattle Seawolves 35, Toronto Arrows 30 (Starfire Stadium)
