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After a strong turnout for their victorious home opener last weekend, NOLA Gold will be looking to build on that momentum as they host the young guns from Carolina on Saturday afternoon. Anthem were ultimately outclassed by New England but grew into the game and showed some promise in their home opener. Now they hit the road for the first time in franchise history.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
1-0-0 (W1) East 2nd
0-1-0 (L1) East 6th
| LINEUP CHANGES |
1 Jarred Adams replaces Matt Harmon
2 Pat O’Toole replaces Augusto Böhme
3 Isaac Salmon replaces Sean Paranihi
9 Damian Stevens replaces Luke Campbell
10 Dorian Jones replaces Rodney Iona
13 JP du Plessis replaces Ross Depperschmidt
14 Ross Depperschmidt replaces Harley Wheeler
16 Ale Lopeti replaces Pat O’Toole
17 Matt Harmon replaces Bart Vermeulen
18 Sam Klimkowski replaces James Irey
19 Fintan Coleman replaces Callum Botchar
20 Maciu Koroi replaces Ale Lopeti
4 Reagan Leslie replaces James Rivers
5 Logan Weidner replaces Lucas Gramlick
9 Siaosi Nai replaces Chase Suznevich (injury)
11 David Still replaces Ulu Niutupuivaha
12 Mateo Gadsden replaces Junior Gafa (injury)
16 Declan Moore replaces Connor Robinson
18 Stephan Bernal-Wendt replaces Ivan Pula
21 Te Rangatira Waitokia replaces Siaosi Nai
22 Cliven Loubser replaces Mateo Gadsden
23 Ulu Niutupuivaha replaces Josh Shetler
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(5) – Salmon, Stevens, Jones*, Klimkowski**, Coleman
(7) – Leslie*, Still, Moore*, Bernal-Wendt**, Singh*, Waitokia, Loubser
*MLR debut
**pro debut
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(5) – Tonga’uiha, Harmon (USA), Noa (Samoa), Stevens (Namibia), Fife (Scotland)
(2) – Turnbull (USA), Loubser (Namibia)
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Sean Paranihi (TH), Cam Dolan (LO/N8), Luke Campbell (SH), Rodney Iona (FH), Ed Fidow (WI), Harley Wheeler (WI)
– Joe Apikotoa (TH), Sean Yacoubian (SH), Junior Gafa (CE)
| NOTES |
- two players are set to make their pro debuts as replacements, both of them props… Sam Klimkowski was drafted by the LA Giltinis in 2021 and joined NOLA last year but did not make a regular season appearance… Stephan Bernal-Wendt moved to Anthem from Utah… he is a former collegiate football player for Hawai’i and spent time with the USA Hawks last season
- standout Anthem midfielder Junior Gafa has been ruled out with a mild knee strain… his spot goes to Mateo Gadsden who scored the team’s first ever try coming off the bench last week
- former Arrows prop Isaac Salmon is set for his NOLA debut… meanwhile Arrows signing Te Rangatira Waitokia has been named on the bench for Anthem
- Dorian Jones makes his MLR bow but is a seasoned professional from Wales… he has represented his country at Sevens and is the son of Canada men’s head coach Kingsley Jones
- Anthem notably have no specialist scrumhalf in reserve… Chase Suznevich and Sean Yacoubian are both out and the status of Rino Teoni with the club is unclear
| PREDICTION |
Ideal conditions are on the forecast which is welcome news for NOLA fans and players alike. The Gold have opted to rotate some positions, including their halfbacks, but still feature a number of first choice starters. Anthem have quality on the bench and could cause problems if they can stay close until the second half. NOLA are clear favorites.
| LINEUPS |
NOLA GOLD
1 Jarred Adams, 2 Pat O’Toole, 3 Isaac Salmon, 4 Malcolm May, 5 William Waguespack, 6 Moni Tonga’uiha (capt.), 7 Jonah Mau’u, 8 OJ Noa, 9 Damian Stevens, 10 Dorian Jones, 11 Taniela Filimone, 12 Jordan Jackson-Hope, 13 JP du Plessis, 14 Ross Depperschmidt, 15 Dougie Fife
Replacements: 16 Ale Lopeti, 17 Matt Harmon, 18 Sam Klimkowski, 19 Fintan Coleman, 20 Maciu Koroi, 21 Sebastiano Villani, 22 Reece Botha, 23 Jack Webster
ANTHEM CAROLINA
1 Jake Turnbull (capt.), 2 Jack Manzo, 3 Mika Felix, 4 Reagan Leslie, 5 Logan Weidner, 6 Braemar Murray, 7 Albert O’Shannessey, 8 Dylan Fortune, 9 Siaosi Nai, 10 Oscar Koller, 11 David Still, 12 Mateo Gadsden, 13 Cael Hodgson, 14 Tyren Al-Jiboori, 15 Shane Barry
Replacements: 16 Declan Moore, 17 Dan Hanson, 18 Stephan Bernal-Wendt, 19 Shneil Singh, 20 Joe Basser, 21 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 22 Cliven Loubser, 23 Ulu Niutupuivaha
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, March 9
Venue: The Gold Mine, Metairie
Kickoff: 15:00 local (13:00 Pacific, 16:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: sun and cloud, 68°F (20°C), wind NW 14-20mph (23-35km/h)
Broadcasts: YurView Louisiana, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Kahlil Harrison (USA)
Assistants: Amelia Luciano (USA) & Rob Halcomb (USA)
TMO: Austin Reed (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (0) – first match
