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NOLA will be looking to turn their fortunes around when they host the Hounds in Metairie on Saturday. The Gold have dropped four in a row and another defeat would tie the franchise mark for consecutive defeats while also pushing them further out of playoff contention. Chicago meanwhile are on the opposite trajectory with three straight wins and three-point lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
1-4-0 (L4) East 5th
4-1-0 (W3) East 1st
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 4 | Kaden Duguid | Chase Jones |
| 6 | Moni Tonga’uiha | Tupou Afungia |
| 10 | Dorian Jones | Reece Botha |
| 11 | Harley Wheeler | Ed Fidow |
| 12 | JP du Plessis | Nikolai Foliaki |
| 15 | Julian Roberts | Cooper Coats |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Faka’osi Pifeleti | Zura Zhvania |
| 3 | Charlie Abel | Paddy Ryan |
| 5 | Hamish Bain | Conall Boomer |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(13) – Harmon, Mullen, Dolan, Tonga’uiha, Taufete’e, Carty (USA), Duguid, Botchar, Matchem (Canada), Mau’u (Samoa), Mignot (France), Stevens (Namibia), Foliaki (Tonga)
(14) – Pifeleti, Fawsitt, Augspurger, Campbell, Brown, White (USA), M Flesch, Rumball, Oworu, Higgins, N Flesch (Canada), Hilsenbeck (Germany), Devoto (England), Péculo (Uruguay)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(1) – Darling*
(0) – none
* – MLR debut
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Kélian Galletier (FL/N8), Ruben de Haas (SH), Ed Fidow (WI)
– Zura Zhvania (LH), Mark O’Keeffe (CE/WI), Julián Domínguez (WI)
| PREDICTION |
In a strange twist of fate, the away team has won all four previous clashes between the two sides. The Gold welcome back skipper Moni Tonga’uiha and have handed a first start to Canadian lock Kaden Duguid. With wet weather on the forecast the extra muscle will help, but the tight-loose is Chicago’s forte. Much will depend on which team’s kicker can find their groove the quickest with both Dorian Jones and Christopher Hilsenbeck experienced tacticians. Chicago are favorites on the road.
| LINEUPS |
NOLA GOLD
1 Matt Harmon, 2 Ale Lopeti, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Kaden Duguid, 5 Cam Dolan, 6 Moni Tonga’uiha (capt.), 7 Aidan King, 8 Jonah Mau’u, 9 Luke Campbell, 10 Dorian Jones, 11 Harley Wheeler, 12 JP du Plessis, 13 Isaac Te Tamaki, 14 Xavier Mignot, 15 Julian Roberts
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Bart Vermeulen, 18 Tyler Matchem, 19 Callum Botchar, 20 Cian Darling, 21 Damian Stevens, 22 Luke Carty, 23 Nikolai Foliaki
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 Faka’osi Pifeleti, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Charlie Abel, 4 James Scott, 5 Hamish Bain, 6 Mason Flesch, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 9 Mitch Short, 10 Christopher Hilsenbeck, 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Ollie Devoto, 13 Bryce Campbell, 14 Noah Brown, 15 Adriaan Carelse
Replacements: 16 Jackson Zabierek, 17 Liam Fletcher, 18 Ignacio Péculo, 19 Luke White, 20 Matthew Oworu, 21 Jason Higgins, 22 Tim Swiel, 23 Noah Flesch
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, March 29
Venue: The Gold Mine, Metairie
Kickoff: 18:00 local (16:00 Pacific, 19:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: cloudy with showers, 73°F (23°C), wind SE 16-23mph (26-37km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Fox Chicago+, Gulf Coast Sports, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: Jarrod Ford (USA) & Tom Ciampa (USA)
TMO: Cam Russell (Canada)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (4) – NOLA 2, Chicago 2
2024-07-21 – NOLA Gold 21, Chicago Hounds 45 (The Gold Mine)
2024-05-26 – Chicago Hounds 13, NOLA Gold 25 (SeatGeek Stadium)
2024-04-06 – NOLA Gold 21, Chicago Hounds 38 (The Gold Mine)
2023-04-23 – Chicago Hounds 24, NOLA Gold 37 (SeatGeek Stadium)
