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The weekend comes to a close in Seattle, where the Seawolves host the LA Giltinis on what will be a very warm Sunday evening. A heat wave in the area saw kickoff delayed in an attempt to quell the stifling temperatures but expectations are that conditions will be very challenging for the players.
It’s thus a relief that this match has the least at stake in terms of the playoff picture. LA are in first overall and are just a few points shy of guaranteeing their spot in the Western Conference Final while Seattle are second from last on the table and already rebuilding towards next season.
In their first meeting back in Week Two it was largely one-way traffic for the Giltinis though a second half hat-trick from James Malcolm on debut improved the scoreline for the Seawolves. Despite their record and five-game losing streak this is undoubtedly a stronger Seattle lineup who pushed the Gilgronis to the last minute last weekend.
Malcolm won’t be playing due to injury with Mike Shepherd starting in his place. Called up as bench cover is local product Halleluiah Tiauli, a former High School All-American who is set to make his professional debut. Djustice Sears-Duru and Jake Ilnicki are unavailable on Canada duty so Henry Hall and Gavin Prentice join the bench alongside Samu Manoa.
Ross Neal and Akihito Yamada are missing from the backline but there is a surprise return from injury for Mat Turner at fullback. Juan Pablo Aguirre fills in at outside center in the only other change to the starting lineup, with backup wing Sitiveni Tamaivena in with a chance of sharing the pitch with twin brother Suliasi.
EDIT: Late changes for Seattle sees Lauina Futi starting at inside center and Sitiveni Tamaivena in on the right wing. Conor McGill, Naulia Dawai, and Karsten Leitner have been added to the bench.
The Giltinis overcame adversity last weekend, defeating the Legion despite losing several starters to injury before the game. Not all have returned this week but they will at least have a more conventional lineup with Bill Meakes returned to the midfield after running out as an emergency flanker in San Diego.
Meakes lines up at outside center with Serupepeli Vularika to his inside. Luke Burton drops to the bench with Adam Ashley-Cooper given the week off. Ryan James comes in on the wing in place of last week’s new cap Adam Channel, and Cristian Rodriguez gets his first start of the season at scrumhalf in the absence of Harrison Goddard.
Changes at prop see JP Smith back in at loosehead and Marco Fepulea’i at tighthead with Charlie Abel out injured. Pago Haini fills the No7 shirt this week and there are two uncapped loose forwards on the bench in Ireland u20 cap Sean O’Brien and Belmont Shore standout Ben Weischedel.
Given the forecast one can expect the bench to play a significant role in the second half but neither side are particularly strong in that department. Seattle have home field advantage and are significantly more confident than they were at the start of the season. On form however LA are undoubtedly the better side and should be considered favorites.
Kickoff is set for 7pm local time, 10pm Eastern. Local broadcasts will be available on Bally Sports SoCal in Los Angeles and Root Sports in Seattle, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Huluholo Mo’ungaloa, 2 Mike Shepherd, 3 Tim Metcher, 4 Victor Comptat, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Brad Tucker, 7 Travis Larsen, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 AJ Alatimu, 11 Suliasi Tamaivena, 12 Lauina Futi, 13 Juan Pablo Aguirre, 14 Sitiveni Tamaivena, 15 Mat Turner
Replacements: 16 Halleluiah Tiauli, 17 Henry Hall, 18 Gavin Prentice, 19 Conor McGill, 20 Naulia Dawai, 21 Devereaux Ferris, 22 Moses Lalasava, 23 Karsten Leitner
LA GILTINIS
1 Jean-Pierre Smith, 2 Sean McNulty, 3 Marco Fepulea’i, 4 Dave Dennis (capt.), 5 Nathan Den Hoedt, 6 Angus Cottrell, 7 Pago Haini, 8 Adam Ashe, 9 Cristian Rodriguez, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Ryan James, 12 Serupepeli Vularika, 13 Bill Meakes, 14 John Ryberg, 15 Glenn Bryce
Replacements: 16 Gelen Robinson, 17 Sione Tu’ihalamaka, 18 Ma’ake Muti, 19 Sean O’Brien, 20 Ben Weischedel, 21 Luke Burton, 22 Jonetani Vasurakuta, 23 Adam Channel
Date: Sunday, June 27
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 19:00 local (22:00 Eastern)
Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: Denny Russell (USA) & Brett Johnson (USA)
Broadcasts: Bally Sports SoCal, Root Sports, The Rugby Network
Historical Results
2021-03-28 – LA Giltinis 57, Seattle Seawolves 26 (Memorial Coliseum)
