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Rugby ATL will square off against the Dallas Jackals for the first time at Silverbacks Park on Saturday afternoon. The home side are in the midst of a hyper-competitive Eastern Conference playoff race, while the visitors are intent on playing spoilers while still in search of their second franchise victory.
Five points separate ATL from third-place New York in the standings but the team from Georgia does have a game at hand. A frustrating draw on the road against the Arrows last weekend left two points off the table and Stephen Brett will be demanding all five from his outfit at home.
There is a notable debut for new arrival Sidney Tobias at hooker. Alex Maughan shifts back to loosehead prop with Lincoln Si’i on the bench. The starting pack is otherwise unchanged though Nahuel Milán and Daemon Torres have been recalled on the bench.
Rewita Biddle is back in at fullback in place of Austin White, one of three changes to the backline. Kurt Coleman runs out at flyhalf for Duncan van Schalkwyk and Seth Purdey gets his first start at inside center with Martini Talapusi dropping to the reserves.
Dallas have now lost five straight but were competitive against DC two weeks ago and Utah last Saturday. It’s a familiar lineup from Agustín Cavalieri with only three personnel changes to his starters and one new name arriving on the bench.
Liam Murray rotates in for Nicolás Revol at loosehead prop, the only change up front. Nazareno Valentini starts at fullback, having previously played scrumhalf, with Marcos Moroni on the wing and Aaron Gray the odd man out. Juan Pablo Aguirre is a straight swap for Alejandro Torres at inside center, and versatile back Jason Tidwell could make his pro debut after making seven appearances with the USA Hawks.
Weather conditions do not look to be a factor at game time. The set piece will be, with ATL particularly strong in the scrum. On attack the return of Biddle and increasing influence of Niall Saunders will be concerns for Dallas, who will lean heavily on their pack to win the collisions and compete in the maul. ATL have too much on the line to let this one slip through. Take the home side for a bonus point victory.
Kickoff is set for noon local time, 11am Central, 9am Pacific. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast nationwide with The Rugby Network streaming for viewers abroad.
RUGBY ATL
1 Alex Maughan, 2 Sidney Tobias, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 4 Justin Basson, 5 Johan Momsen, 6 Vili Helu, 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Ross Deacon, 9 Niall Saunders, 10 Kurt Coleman, 11 Jack Shaw, 12 Seth Purdey, 13 Will Leonard, 14 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 15 Rewita Biddle
Replacements: 16 Isaac Bales, 17 Lincoln Si’i, 18 Will Burke, 19 Nahuel Milán, 20 Daemon Torres, 21 Ryan Rees, 22 Martini Talapusi, 23 Austin White
DALLAS JACKALS
1 Liam Murray, 2 Dewald Kotze, 3 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 4 Sam Golla, 5 Lucas Bur, 6 Jerónimo Gómez Vara (capt.), 7 Conrado Roura, 8 Adriaan Booysen, 9 Pedro Imhoff, 10 Martín Elías, 11 Marcos Moroni, 12 Juan Pablo Aguirre, 13 Tomás Malanos, 14 Campbell Johnstone, 15 Nazareno Valentini
Replacements: 16 Nicolás Revol, 17 Connor Robinson, 18 Kyle Steeves, 19 Carson Shoemaker, 20 Cameron Nelson, 21 Danny Christensen, 22 Jason Tidwell, 23 Lui Sitama
Date: Saturday, May 20
Venue: Silverbacks Park, Atlanta
Kickoff: 12:00 local (09:00 Pacific, 11:00 Central)
Broadcasts: Fox Sports 1, The Rugby Network
Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
Assistants: Cisco Lopez (USA) & Dave Edwards (USA)
TMO: Greg Gilliam (USA)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
n/a
