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San Diego’s return to Torero Stadium was short-lived, and it’s back to Chula Vista for the Legion as they play host to the Seawolves in the first of four matches scheduled over the weekend. The visitors were winners in their May meeting at Starfire Stadium with gives Seattle a 4-3 edge in the head-to-head record.
After a string of three straight victories the Legion have slumped back to early season form with three straight defeats. A listless second half against Austin saw them concede 19 unanswered points and they now have to contend with the loss of four players during the week.
Joe Pietersen, Bjorn Basson, and Thomas Morani are all out so it’s a new-look backline. Nate Augspurger is restored to both the No9 shirt and the captaincy, with Santiago González Iglesias shifting spots for a third consecutive week. Tiaan Loots is fit to partner Cameron Clark in the midfield, and the new wingers are Cole Zarcone and Ryan Matyas.
Siaosi Mahoni has departed on international duty so Keni Nasoqeqe moves into the second row. Dan Pryor returns to the lineup on the flank, and Cronan Gleeson starts in place of Faka’osi Pifeleti at loosehead prop. Derrick Broussard is called up to the bench and the flanker could make his first Major League Rugby appearance since the 2018 season.
Seattle have not tasted victory since that May win over the Legion, a stretch of six long games. The streak does not reflect clear signs of improvement, however, with three of their last four defeats coming by five points or less. Their guard slipped up somewhat against LA last weekend and like the Legion they will be absent some key players.
Riekert Hattingh is the most notable, their captain joining Mahoni on the Eagles tour. His spot at the back of the scrum goes to Travis Larsen, with Naulia Dawai starting at openside flanker. On the blindside it’s Samu Manoa who comes in for the injured Brad Tucker, while James Malcolm returns at hooker with Mike Shepherd dropping to the bench.
Joining Tucker on the sidelines are Juan Pablo Aguirre, Sitiveni Tamaivena, and Mat Turner, while Ross Neal is a late scratch. Kieran Joyce comes into the midfield with Karsten Leitner on the right wing. JP Smith drops back to fullback with Devereaux Ferris handed the start at scrumhalf. AJ Alatimu is named captain.
Both teams have dropped out of the playoff race so there’s only bragging rights on the line. That’s no small item considering the history shared between these two West Coast rivals. With so many changes and neither in particularly great form, it’s a virtual toss-up. Give the Legion a slight advantage at home but the Seawolves may yet have their number.
Kickoff is set for noon local time, 3pm Eastern. CBS Sports Network will broadcast in Canada and the USA with The Rugby Network streaming to viewers abroad.
SAN DIEGO LEGION
1 Cronan Gleeson, 2 Peter Malcolm, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Tom Franklin, 5 Keni Nasoqeqe, 6 Jasa Veremalua, 7 Dan Pryor, 8 Tevita Tameilau, 9 Nate Augspurger (capt.), 10 Santiago González Iglesias, 11 Cole Zarcone, 12 Tiaan Loots, 13 Cameron Clark, 14 Ryan Matyas, 15 Cecil Afrika
Replacements: 16 Dean Muir, 17 Faka’osi Pifeleti, 18 Chris Baumann, 19 Derrick Broussard, 20 Chris Turori, 21 Ethan McVeigh, 22 Patrick Madden, 23 Save Totovosau
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Huluholo Mo’ungaloa, 2 James Malcolm, 3 Tim Metcher, 4 Victor Comptat, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Samu Manoa, 7 Naulia Dawai, 8 Travis Larsen, 9 Devereaux Ferris, 10 AJ Alatimu (capt.), 11 Suliasi Tamaivena, 12 Kieran Joyce, 13 Lauina Futi, 14 Karsten Leitner, 15 JP Smith
Replacements: 16 Henry Hall, 17 Mike Shepherd, 18 Gavin Prentice, 19 Conor McGill, 20 Ben Landry, 21 Tommy Clark, 22 Moses Lalasava, 23 Aaron Matthews
Date: Saturday, July 3
Venue: Elite Athlete Training Center, Chula Vista
Kickoff: 12:00 local (15:00 Eastern)
Referee: Scott Green (USA)
Assistants: Austin Reed (USA) & Alexis Alfaro (USA)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, The Rugby Network
Historical Results
2021-05-09 – Seattle Seawolves 21, San Diego Legion 15 (Starfire Stadium)
2020-02-09 – San Diego Legion 33, Seattle Seawolves 24 (Torero Stadium)
2019-06-16 – San Diego Legion 23, Seattle Seawolves 26 (Torero Stadium)
2019-03-31 – Seattle Seawolves 22, San Diego Legion 28 (Starfire Stadium)
2019-02-02 – San Diego Legion 17, Seattle Seawolves 13 (Torero Stadium)
2018-06-30 – Seattle Seawolves 38, San Diego Legion 24 (Infinity Park)
2018-04-22 – Seattle Seawolves 39, San Diego Legion 23 (Starfire Stadium)
