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A mouth-watering clash between two originals takes place at Starfire Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Seattle Seawolves and Austin Gilgronis each sport 3-0 records entering the match, and the result could well have significant implications on the final standings in the Western Conference come playoff time.
It’s the sixth meeting between the two. It was Seattle who held a firm advantage during their championship seasons of 2018 and 2019. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 campaign, and when Major League Rugby returned in full last year it was Austin reborn who got the edge in both contests.
This year’s version of the Seawolves looks dramatically improved from a year ago, and the team enters the match with great confidence after the road win at San Diego last weekend. Consistency in selection has no doubt contributed to that and the side shows just one change among the starters.
Concerns that Tavite Lopeti may not be fit for the match have been alleviated and he is paired with Dan Kriel in the midfield, the latter recovered from injury. Martin Iosefo moves back to the wing and it’s Ross Neal who misses out, with Lauina Futi switching to the No14 shirt.
Dewald Donald is also fit and provides loosehead prop cover for countryman Mzamo Majola. Samu Manoa should feature as a loose forward replacement in his first appearance of the season. Collegiate Draft pick Darell Williams could make his professional debut as a replacement.
The AG’s are also flying high with three dominant wins in a row and the best points differential by a wide margin. While they didn’t rack up heaps of points against the Warriors, Austin were in completely control against a team who ought to have given them a tougher test.
At the time of writing Austin have not provided their match day 23.
GAME DAY EDIT: The lineup can now seen below.
Temperatures in Seattle will not reach the chill currently descended on Texas, but there is rain on the forecast. Austin have not seen such conditions this year and the Seawolves represent their most difficult opponent to date. The Seawolves looked primed to deliver a physical performance. This one is too close to call. Absent an Austin lineup to properly assess, take Seattle based on home field advantage.
Kickoff is set for 5pm local time, 7pm Central, 8pm Eastern. Local broadcasts will be available on KBVO in Austin and Root Sports in Seattle, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Mzamo Majola, 2 James Malcolm, 3 Tim Metcher, 4 Setefano Funaki, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Ben Landry, 7 Nakai Penny, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 AJ Alatimu, 11 Martin Iosefo, 12 Tavite Lopeti, 13 Dan Kriel, 14 Lauina Futi, 15 Duncan Matthews
Replacements: 16 Mike Brown, 17 Dewald Donald, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Victor Comptat, 20 Samu Manoa, 21 Reid Watkins, 22 Kieran Joyce, 23 Darell Williams
AUSTIN GILGRONIS
1 Faka’osi Pifeleti, 2 Hugh Roach, 3 Mason Pedersen, 4 Isaac Ross, 5 Cam Dodson, 6 Kyle Breytenbach, 7 Luke Beauchamp, 8 Michael de Waal, 9 Ryan Louwrens, 10 Mack Mason, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Bryce Campbell (capt.), 13 Mark O’Keeffe, 14 Zinzan Elan-Puttick, 15 Marcel Brache
Replacements: 16 Mason Koch, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Namatahi Waa, 19 Christian Ostberg, 20 Locky McCaffrey, 21 Sidney Shoop, 22 Will Magie, 23 Chris Mattina/Dom Akina
Date: Saturday, February 26
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 17:00 local (19:00 Central, 20:00 Eastern)
Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: Chris Assmus (Canada) & Denny Russell (USA)
TMO: Kahlil Harrison (USA)
Broadcasts: KBVO, Root Sports, The Rugby Network
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2021-06-20 – Seattle Seawolves 31, Austin Gilgronis 36 (Starfire Stadium)
2021-04-25 – Austin Gilgronis 42, Seattle Seawolves 15 (Bold Stadium)
2019-06-02 – Seattle Seawolves 38, Austin Elite 26 (Starfire Stadium)
2019-03-16 – Austin Elite 17, Seattle Seawolves 29 (Dell Diamond)
2018-06-08 – Austin Elite 19, Seattle Seawolves 20 (Round Rock Multipurpose Complex)
