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Fresh off their first franchise victory, Chicago will face stiff competition on Sunday in the form of unbeaten Seattle at SeatGeek Stadium. The Seawolves are coming off a bye week following a perfect four-from-four start to the season, while the Hounds got their positive result after three straight defeats.
Sam Harris welcomes one new name to his squad this week as former Eagles lock John Cullen returns to the pitch after a two-year hiatus. On the flipside loosehead prop George Thornton is ruled out leaving the team without two first choice forwards as hooker Hugh Roach remains sidelined with a knee sprain.
LaRome White and Paddy Ryan are the starting props for the first time this season, the former replacing Thornton and the latter swapping places with Charlie Abel. Duke Krishnan tags in for Mike Matarazzo at lock, the latter alongside Cullen on a bench that shows a 6/2 split.
The Seawolves show just two personnel changes in the starting lineup, one each in the forwards and backs. Jake Turnbull comes in at loosehead with no sign of Mzamo Majola this week. Conner Mooneyham is restored on the right wing with Lauina Futi switching to the left and Martin Iosefo missing out.
Three more changes are found on the bench. Dewald Donald and David Busby make their first appearances of the campaign, covering loosehead and the outside backs respectively. Jordan Chait is fit to return as backup to starting flyhalf AJ Alatimu.
Chicago fans will again be asked to endure chilly temperatures with the potential for light showers. Those conditions are familiar to both sides, however, and should not have a dramatic effect. Cullen adds much-needed depth to the pack and the Hounds backline is certainly a threat, but Seattle are simply a better team at this stage and should be clear favorites despite being on the road.
Kickoff is set for 3pm local time, 1pm Pacific, 4pm Eastern. Local broadcasts will be available on Marquee Sports Plus in Chicago and Root Sports in Seattle, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 LaRome White, 2 Lindsey Stevens, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Duke Krishnan, 5 Luke White, 6 Luke Beauchamp, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Michael de Waal, 9 Michael Baska, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Billy Meakes, 13 Bryce Campbell (capt.), 14 Mark O’Keeffe, 15 Chris Mattina
Replacements: 16 Mason Koch, 17 Timmy Ohlwein, 18 Charlie Abel, 19 Mike Matarazzo, 20 John Cullen, 21 Dacoda Worth, 22 Sean Yacoubian, 23 JP Eloff
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Jake Turnbull, 2 Peter Malcolm, 3 Sam Matenga, 4 Ben Landry, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Charles Elton, 7 Nakai Penny, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 AJ Alatimu, 11 Lauina Futi, 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Conner Mooneyham, 15 Duncan Matthews
Replacements: 16 James Malcolm, 17 Dewald Donald, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Taylor Krumrei, 20 Ben Mitchell, 21 Karl Keane, 22 Jordan Chait, 23 David Busby
Date: Sunday, March 26
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview
Kickoff: 15:00 local (13:00 Pacific, 16:00 Eastern)
Broadcasts: Marquee Sports Plus, Root Sports, The Rugby Network
Referee: Paulo Duarte (Portugal)
Assistants: Shawn Bastic (USA) & David Zaccaria (USA)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)
