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Two top-four teams will go head-to-head at Brooklyn’s MCU Park on Sunday. Rugby United New York have won five of six and three in a row, but their next challenge are the 2018 runner-up Glendale Raptors who are unbeaten in five matches after losing their first two of the season.
New York had to dig deep to win late against Toronto in their home opener but it came at a cost. Star flyhalf Cathal Marsh is out with a groin injury and first choice inside center Will Leonard suffered a shoulder dislocation. Chris Mattina slots in at No10 with Mike St. Claire asked to step into the midfield.
Connor Wallace-Sims and Luke Hume are both short of tip-top shape but will front up on the wings. There are two new backs named on the bench. Harry Bennett and Quentin Pradère are set to make their regular season Major League Rugby debuts, providing cover at flyhalf and center respectively.
Up front New York are absent only flanker Kyle Sumsion and again rely on veteran James Denise to fill in at openside with John Quill continuing on the blindside. Ross Deacon has shouldered a mountain of work, playing nearly every minute this season. He will face some tough opposition in the Glendale pack.
Canadian prop Noah Barker is thrown straight into the battle in his MLR debut and Marco Fepulea’i is recalled at tighthead prop. Curiously it’s Will Munro who is listed at lock with Brendan Daly on the blindside. The opposite would have been more conventional, though we have seen Glendale’s team sheet marked incorrectly before. Peter Dahl is selected at No8 with Malon Al-Jiboori left on the bench.
In the midfield there is a recall for Chad London, who replaces Robbie Petzer at inside center. John Ryberg is absent so Nick Johnson steps in on the left wing in an otherwise unchanged backline. Carlo de Nysschen has recovered from injury to take up his role as backup halfback in place of Mickey Bateman.
Choosing a winner here will be difficult. New York have home field advantage and should give Glendale problems at the set piece despite the arrival of Barker. The Raptors, however, have Eagles adorning the back row and the halfbacks. Out wide each team has threats and the weather forecast is promising. Look for this to come down to the wire with the winner the side that makes the least mistakes.
Kickoff is set for 2pm local time, 11am Pacific. A live broadcast will be available on the CBS Sports Network. Those located outside of the USA can access the live stream on the official MLR Facebook page.
RUGBY UNITED NEW YORK
1 James Rochford, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Trevor Cassidy, 5 Nate Brakeley, 6 John Quill, 7 James Denise, 8 Ross Deacon, 9 Mike Petri (capt.), 10 Chris Mattina, 11 Connor Wallace-Sims, 12 Mike St. Claire, 13 Mark O’Keeffe, 14 Luke Hume, 15 Ben Foden
Replacements: 16 Mike Brown, 17 Anthony Parry, 18 Callum Mackintosh, 19 Alex MacDonald, 20 Matt Hughston, 21 Marcus Walsh, 22 Harry Bennett, 23 Quentin Pradère
GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Noah Barker, 2 Zach Fenoglio, 3 Marco Fepulea’i, 4 Will Munro, 5 Luke White, 6 Brendan Daly, 7 Hanco Germishuys, 8 Peter Dahl, 9 Shaun Davies (capt.), 10 Will Magie, 11 Harley Davidson, 12 Chad London, 13 Mika Kruse, 14 Nick Johnson, 15 Dylan Taikato-Simpson
Replacements: 16 Chad Gough, 17 Blake Rogers, 18 Max Lum, 19 Kody O’Neil, 20 Malon Al-Jiboori, 21 Carlo de Nysschen, 22 Ata Malifa, 23 Robbie Petzer
Date: Sunday, March 24
Venue: MCU Park, Brooklyn
Kickoff: 14:00 local (11:00 Pacific)
Referee: Ben Crouse (SARU)
Assistants: Lex Weiner (USAR) & Mike O’Brien (USAR)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Facebook
