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Professional rugby will touch down at Mecklenburg County SportsPlex for the first time on Friday night when Anthem plays host to the Miami Sharks. The home side were walloped by San Diego last week and are still in search of their first victory as a franchise. It’s a short turnaround for the visitors, who held on to beat NOLA this past Sunday and move up the Eastern Conference ladder.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
0-2-0 (L2) East 6th
1-1-0 (W1) East 2nd
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 3 | Alex Maughan | Joe Apikotoa |
| 9 | Carlo de Nysschen | Karl Keane |
| 10 | Karl Keane | Line Latu |
| 15 | Line Latu | Mitch Wilson |
|
IN | OUT |
| 3 | Tau Koloamatangi | Alex Tucci |
| 9 | Tomás Inciarte | Tomás Cubelli |
| 11 | Tomás Cubilla | Connor Burns |
| 13 | Matías Orlando | Tomás Malanos |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(7) – Turnbull, Maughan, Grandy, Golla, Storti, Mooneyham (USA), Apikotoa (Tonga)
(10) – Myhill (Wales), Koloamatangi (Tonga), Ardao, Inciarte (Uruguay), Bonasso, McNulty (USA), du Toit, O’Leary (Canada), Orlando (Argentina), Videla (Chile)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(1) – Safodien*
(0) – none
* – MLR debut
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Declan Moore (HO), Cliven Loubser (FH), Mitch Wilson (FB)
– Reinaldo Piussi (TH), Tomás Casares (LO/FL), Tomás Cubelli (SH)
| PREDICTION |
Calm conditions are on the forecast, with a slight breeze. The Sharks will be missing captain Cubelli but do have Tau Koloamatangi to anchor the scrum. They also have a vast advantage in experience and superior tactical kickers. Anthem will need to minimize mistakes and find a way to mitigate the threat of Manuel Ardao at the breakdown to have a shot at success. Miami are favorites on the road.
| LINEUPS |
ANTHEM CAROLINA
1 Jake Turnbull (co-capt.), 2 Connor Robinson, 3 Alex Maughan, 4 Puna Vuli, 5 Mikey Grandy, 6 Sam Golla (capt.), 7 Makeen Alikhan, 8 Dylan Fortune, 9 Carlo de Nysschen, 10 Karl Keane, 11 Jason Tidwell, 12 Junior Gafa, 13 Erich Storti, 14 Conner Mooneyham, 15 Line Latu
Replacements: 16 Ethan Howard, 17 Dan Hanson, 18 Joe Apikotoa, 19 Alejandro Martinez Tapia, 20 Michael Ma’afu, 21 Ishy Safodien, 22 Watson Filikitonga, 23 EJ Freeman
MIAMI SHARKS
1 Ma’ake Muti, 2 Kirby Myhill, 3 Tau Koloamatangi, 4 Mauro Rebussone, 5 Federico Gutiérrez, 6 Manuel Ardao, 7 Benjamín Bonasso, 8 Marques Fuala’au, 9 Tomás Inciarte, 10 Martín Elías, 11 Tomás Cubilla, 12 Guiseppe du Toit, 13 Matías Orlando (capt.), 14 Marcos Young, 15 Santiago Videla
Replacements: 16 Sean McNulty, 17 Jonas Petrakopoulos, 18 Alex Tucci, 19 Chase Schor-Haskin, 20 Tomás Bekerman, 21 Damian Morley, 22 Shane O’Leary, 23 Lautaro Soto Ansay
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Friday, February 28
Venue: Mecklenburg County SportsPlex, Matthews
Kickoff: 19:30 local (16:30 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: clear, 54°F (12°C), wind SW 7-11mph (11-18km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Lex Weiner (USA)
Assistants: Mike Lawrenson (USA) & Dave Edwards (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (2) – Miami 2, Carolina 0
2024-06-16 – Anthem Carolina 14, Miami Sharks 30 (American Legion Stadium, Charlotte)
2024-03-23 – Miami Sharks 50, Anthem Carolina 21 (AutoNation Field)
