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It might seem early in the season, but the Seawolves are now entering must-win territory when they host the Utah Warriors at Starfire Stadium on Saturday night. Things have not gone swimmingly for Seattle with only one win from four to start the campaign, and another defeat against a Western Conference rival will see them stuck in a tough race against LA for the fourth and final playoff spot.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
1-3-0 (L1) West 4th
3-1-0 (W1) West 2nd
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 11 | Mika Kruse | Malacchi Esdale |
| 14 | Lauina Futi | Toni Pulu |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Aki Seiuli | Fred Apulu |
| 2 | Liam Coltman | Tuvere Vugakoto |
| 3 | Tonga Kofe | Remsy Lemisio |
| 13 | Kyle Brown | Spencer Jones |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(9) – Zeiss (Argentina), Hattingh, Smith, Kruse (USA), Iona, Noa (Samoa), Rossouw (Namibia), Kotze, Gallagher (Canada)
(11) – Seiuli, Leuila (Samoa), Coltman (New Zealand), Wilson, Mano, MacLellan, Jensen, Lasike (USA), Benn, Jones (Canada), Vugakoto (Fiji)
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Charles Elton (FL), Dan Kriel (CE)
– Tamarau McGahan (FL)
| PREDICTION |
While the Seawolves have struggled, the Warriors have started strongly with three wins from four. They did look vulnerable against Houston and the narrow Starfire pitch won’t suit their game. Greg Cooper has restored their first choice front row and there is no lack of experience to call upon from the bench. The continued absence of Charles Elton and particularly Dan Kriel for Seattle is a significant hurdle to overcome on top of their mediocre form. Utah are slight favorites on the road.
| LINEUPS |
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Cameron Orr, 2 Kerron van Vuuren, 3 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 5 Malembe Mpofu, 6 Huw Taylor, 7 Devin Short, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 Rodney Iona, 11 Mika Kruse, 12 Eddie Fouché, 13 Divan Rossouw, 14 Toni Pulu, 15 Duncan Matthews
Replacements: 16 Dewald Kotze, 17 Dewald Donald, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Isaia Lotawa, 20 OJ Noa, 21 Brock Gallagher, 22 David Busby, 23 Malacchi Esdale
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Aki Seiuli, 2 Liam Coltman, 3 Tonga Kofe, 4 Frank Lochore, 5 Gavin Thornbury (capt.), 6 Bailey Wilson, 7 Kalisi Moli, 8 Dylan Nel, 9 Zion Going, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Joe Mano, 12 D’Angelo Leuila, 13 Kyle Brown, 14 Nic Benn, 15 Jordan Trainor
Replacements: 16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Fred Apulu, 18 Angus MacLellan, 19 Matt Jensen, 20 Reid Davis, 21 Logan Crowley, 22 Paul Lasike, 23 Spencer Jones
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, March 22
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 19:00 local (20:00 Mountain, 22:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: cloudy, 48°F (9°C), wind S 6-7mph (9-11km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Fox 13 Seattle, KJZZ, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada) & Morris Fuller (USA)
TMO: Mike Kelly (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (12) – Seattle 8, Utah 3, Draw 1
2024-06-09 – Seattle Seawolves 68, Utah Warriors 29 (Starfire Stadium)
2024-03-16 – Utah Warriors 13, Seattle Seawolves 23 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2023-06-04 – Seattle Seawolves 27, Utah Warriors 20 (Starfire Stadium)
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)
