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A first ever meeting between Rugby United New York and Old Glory DC was just two weeks away when the Major League Rugby season was cancelled in 2020. Fast forward a little over a year and finally two of the nation’s iconic cities will collide in Jersey city – in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.
It’s an unusual twist of fate that sees New York playing their first home game of 2021 in a neighboring city, just as Old Glory have done in Leesburg. Under normal circumstances Cochrane Stadium would be far from ideal but after opening the season against San Diego in a Las Vegas wind tunnel there will be few if any complaints.
New York redeemed their uncharacteristically poor performance in New Orleans with a comprehensive victory over Rugby ATL last weekend. There are only three personnel changes to the starting lineup but the forward pack has a dramatically different look to it.
Hanco Germishuys is the odd man out this week with Charlie Hewitt takin his place in the pack, albeit in a different position. He joins Nick Civetta to form an imposing second row combination while Nate Brakeley moves to the blindside flank. Strangely it’s regular openside Kara Pryor who stays at No8 with Benjamín Bonasso, who prefers the back of the scrum, named in the No7 shirt.
In the backs there are more conventional changes. Joel Miranda and Troy Lockyear make their first appearances of the season at left wing and fullback respectively. Left out this week are Apenisa Cakaubalavu and Ben Foden. Chris Mattina is recalled to the bench where Kyle Sumsion provides loose forward cover.
Old Glory started the season in a good place but were brought back to earth against the Arrows. With a bye week they will have worked on problem points, not least the scrum. Despite hints of new signings in the backline it’s largely the same cast of characters that have made the trip north.
The only change in the forward pack sees player-coach Callum Gibbins recalled on the blindside flank. Luke Campbell misses out entirely as collegiate wrestling convert Cory Daniel is named to a match day roster for the first time. He covers flanker in a bench with a 6-2 split, Josh Brown the eightman in reserve.
Doug Fraser joins fellow Canadian center Ciaran Hearn on the disabled list so Renata Roberts-Te Nana moves up into the midfield alongside Thretton Palamo. The good news is that Jason Robertson is fit enough to resume duties at flyhalf, with Mike Dabulas dropping back to fill the fullback vacancy.
Though it’s a relatively short trip from DC, the metropolitan traffic has a way of draining energy from all those that enter. The form guide favors New York and on paper they have a stronger lineup, though Old Glory’s loose forward trio and star halfbacks can stand with any opponent. Take the home side whose greater strength in depth will pay dividends in the final quarter.
Kickoff is set for 2:30pm local time, 11:30am Pacific. Local broadcasts will be available on NBC Sports Washington and the MSG Network in New York, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
RUGBY UNITED NEW YORK
1 James Rochford, 2 Dylan Fawsitt (capt.), 3 Zak Taulafo, 4 Charlie Hewitt, 5 Nick Civetta, 6 Nate Brakeley, 7 Benjamín Bonasso, 8 Kara Pryor, 9 Andy Ellis, 10 Dan Hollinshead, 11 Joel Miranda, 12 Will Leonard, 13 Fa’asiu Fuatai, 14 Quinn Ngawati, 15 Troy Lockyear
Replacements: 16 Wilton Rebolo, 17 Anthony Parry, 18 Samu Tawake, 19 Evan Mintern, 20 Kyle Sumsion, 21 Conor McManus, 22 Harry Bennett, 23 Chris Mattina
OLD GLORY DC
1 Jamie Dever, 2 Mike Sosene-Feagai, 3 Steven Longwell, 4 Tevita Naqali, 5 Stan South, 6 Callum Gibbins, 7 Mungo Mason (co-capt.), 8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, 9 Danny Tusitala, 10 Jason Robertson, 11 D’Montae Noble, 12 Thretton Palamo (co-capt.), 13 Renata Roberts-Te Nana, 14 Sam Cusano, 15 Mike Dabulas
Replacements: 16 James King, 17 Max Lum, 18 Jack Carroll, 19 Api Naikatini, 20 Josh Brown, 21 Danny Thomas, 22 Simi Moala, 23 Cory Daniel
Date: Sunday, April 18
Venue: Cochrane Stadium, Jersey City
Kickoff: 14:30 local (11:30 Pacific)
Referee: Mike Lash (New Zealand)
Assistants: Lex Weiner (USA) & Miles McIvor (USA)
Broadcasts: MSG Network, NBC Sports Washington, The Rugby Network
Historical Results
n/a
