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A match with major playoff implications in the Western Conference wraps up Week 16 of the 2023 Major League Rugby campaign. The Seattle Seawolves can clinch a home playoff game with a victory of any kind, while the Utah Warriors need a bonus point win to maintain their current third-place position.
Houston’s bonus point win over Toronto means they are temporarily five points up on the Warriors, but Utah held a slight advantage in wins heading into the weekend. Greg Cooper’s men had taken the lead in the race for the final playoff spot thanks to three straight victories, including a bonus point win over the SaberCats two weeks ago.
Up front the props are rotated with Olive Kilifi and Paul Mullen getting the start, while Saia Uhila comines in at lock. Onehunga Havili moves to the side of the scrum with Lance Williams named on the bench. Connor McLeod slots back into the No9 shirt, and there is a surprise return for Paul Lasike on the bench after initially being ruled out for the season after suffering a knee injury at the end of March.
The Seawolves are riding a five-game winning streak despite missing their captain and talisman Riekert Hattingh for the past three games with a broken foot. A bonus point win would keep them within striking distance of the Legion for the first overall spot, but four competition points would be good enough to guarantee a minimum of second spot in the West a home game in the first round of the playoffs.
Mzamo Majola and Rhyno Herbst come into the tight five with Jake Turnbull and Taylor Krumrei in reserve roles this week. Jordan Chait returns to the lineup at flyhalf, with AJ Alatimu bumping out one spot to partner Dan Kriel in the midfield. Martin Iosefo slides out to the wing, with Tavite Lopeti and Conner Mooneyham on the bench. Notably there is no specialist scrumhalf in reserve with Karl Keane a late withdrawal and no sign of Reid Watkins.
Mild conditions are expected at kickoff which sets the stage for another sold out crowd at Starfire Stadium. That vocal support tilts the scales in Seattle’s favor, with the narrower pitch also constricting Utah’s attacking game somewhat. Both teams are on winning streaks and it was the Warriors who got the edge in their first meeting in April. Expect a close game with the Seawolves narrow favorites at home.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm local time, 8:30pm Mountain, 10:30pm Eastern. Local broadcasts will be available on Root Sports in Seattle and both KMYU and KSL Sports online in Utah, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Mzamo Majola, 2 Peter Malcolm, 3 Sam Matenga, 4 Samu Manoa, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Ben Landry (co-capt.), 7 Charles Elton (co-capt.), 8 Ronan Foley, 9 JP Smith, 10 Jordan Chait, 11 Martin Iosefo, 12 AJ Alatimu, 13 Dan Kriel, 14 Lauina Futi, 15 Adriaan Carelse
Replacements: 16 James Malcolm, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Taylor Krumrei, 20 Andrew Durutalo, 21 Nakai Penny, 22 Conner Mooneyham, 23 Tavite Lopeti
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Olive Kilifi, 2 Henry Bell, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Jamie Lane, 5 Saia Uhila, 6 Bailey Wilson (capt.), 7 Onehunga Havili, 8 Thomas Tu’avao, 9 Connor McLeod, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Joe Mano, 12 Calvin Whiting, 13 Tyler Fisher, 14 Mika Kruse, 15 Caleb Makene
Replacements: 16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Emerson Prior, 18 Angus MacLellan, 19 Jurie van Vuuren, 20 Lance Williams, 21 Zion Going, 22 Tomasi Tonga, 23 Paul Lasike
Date: Sunday, June 4
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 19:30 local (20:30 Mountain, 22:30 Eastern)
Broadcasts: KMYU, KSL Sports, Root Sports, The Rugby Network
Referee: Scott Green (USA)
Assistants: Brad Schwalger (Canada) & Saro Turner (Canada)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2023-04-15 – Utah Warriors 41, Seattle Seawolves 35 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2022-04-23 – Utah Warriors 14, Seattle Seawolves 20 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2022-02-10 – Seattle Seawolves 20, Utah Warriors 17 (Starfire Stadium)
2021-06-06 – Seattle Seawolves 28, Utah Warriors 29 (Starfire Stadium)
2021-04-10 – Utah Warriors 15, Seattle Seawolves 20 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2020-03-07 – Seattle Seawolves 31, Utah Warriors 33 (Starfire Stadium)
2019-05-26 – Seattle Seawolves 27, Utah Warriors 27 (Starfire Stadium)
2019-04-05 – Utah Warriors 36, Seattle Seawolves 48 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2018-05-21 – Seattle Seawolves 41, Utah Warriors 32 (Starfire Stadium)
