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Major League Rugby officially arrives in the Midwest on Sunday, when the Chicago Hounds celebrate their home opener against the Utah Warriors. The grass has been cut, lines painted, and scoreboard calibrated. SeatGeek Stadium is ready to open its doors to its newest tenant.
The Hounds enjoyed a week off after their first run-out in DC, and return with much the same roster with one notable addition. Argentine flyer Julián Domínguez will take the field with his third MLR side, having previously starred with NOLA and more recently Austin. Caleb Strum moves to the right wing to make room, with JP Eloff dropping to the bench. There is no sign of Billy Meakes, however, the ex-Giltinis star is yet to touch down in the Windy City.
In the pack Hugh Roach gets the start at hooker in place of Lindsey Stevens. Luke White has been ruled out with a minor hamstring complaint, so Mike Matarazzo steps in at lock. It’s a conventional 5/3 split on the bench with Sam Peri and Dacoda Worth covering second and back row respectively.
Utah got the win during their own home opener last week against Dallas. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however, as the Jackals matched the Warriors try-for-try. Greg Cooper has stuck with a similar lineup that shows just three changes to the run-on side, with one positional switch.
Franco van den Berg returns to the No1 shirt with Emerson Prior on the bench. Henry Bell makes his anticipated MLR debut at hooker, and Thomas Tu’avao replaces Jurie van Vuuren at No8. Bailey Wilson swaps jerseys with Lance Williams, the latter lining up at openside flanker this week.
While the snow left by Friday’s storm will be melted come game time, temperatures will still be on the chilly side. That suggests a tactical approach from the Hounds, with Matarazzo boosting their lineout and Luke Carty passed fit to play. The head-to-head clash between Eagles teammates Bryce Campbell and Paul Lasike could produce seismic waves. Chicago will be fired up but Utah has the stronger bench which should prove decisive. Take the visitors but not by much.
Kickoff is set for 1pm local time, 11am Pacific, noon Mountain, 2pm Eastern. Local broadcasts are available on KMYU in Utah and Marquee Sports Plus in Chicago, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide. A delayed broadcast will also be available on Marquee Sports TV at 6pm Central.
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 George Thornton, 2 Hugh Roach, 3 Charlie Abel, 4 Duke Krishnan, 5 Mike Matarazzo, 6 Luke Beauchamp, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Michael de Waal, 9 Michael Baska, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Julián Domínguez, 12 Bryce Campbell (capt.), 13 Mark O’Keeffe, 14 Caleb Strum, 15 Chris Mattina
Replacements: 16 Lindsey Stevens, 17 LaRome White, 18 Paddy Ryan, 19 Sam Peri, 20 Dacoda Worth, 21 Sean Yacoubian, 22 JP Eloff, 23 Kevin Morgan
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Franco van den Berg, 2 Henry Bell, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Jamie Lane, 5 Saia Uhila, 6 Bailey Wilson (capt.), 7 Lance Williams, 8 Thomas Tu’avao, 9 Connor McLeod, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Joe Mano, 12 Paul Lasike, 13 Calvin Whiting, 14 Mika Kruse, 15 Caleb Makene
Replacements: 16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Emerson Prior, 18 Angus MacLellan, 19 Onehunga Havili, 20 Jeremiah Noaese, 21 Zion Going, 22 Logan Tago, 23 Cliven Loubser
Date: Sunday, March 5
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview
Kickoff: 13:00 local (11:00 Pacific, 12:00 Mountain, 14:00 Eastern)
Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: David Zaccaria (USA) & Niall Little (USA)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)
Broadcasts: KMYU, Marquee Sports Plus, The Rugby Network
HISTORICAL RESULTS
n/a
