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The red-hot Warriors could close the gap on the Seawolves if they can make it four wins in a row on Saturday night in Utah. Seattle’s unbeaten run came to an end last week and there are now just five points separating the two sides in a wildly competitive Western Conference.
Though Seattle didn’t get the result they wanted against San Diego, a 3-point loss is not something to be overly concerned with. They remain undoubtedly among the league’s elite though some injuries have forced Allen Clarke’s hand in this week’s selections.
Jordan Chait has been ruled out but AJ Alatimu is fit to step into the No10 shirt. New arrival Adriaan Carelse slots straight in at fullback, with Duncan Matthews renewing his former Lions midfield partnership with Dan Kriel. Martin Iosefo rotates in on the left wing with Lauina Futi swapping to the right to set up a mouth-watering head-to-head with fellow American Samoan star Joe Mano.
Mat Turner continues on the bench but Andrew Durutalo and Samu Manoa to not make the trip to Herriman. Taylor Krumrei returns and there is a potential debut for giant lock Isaia Lotawa. With no specialist hooker among the reserves it’s not clear which of the three props on the bench might be asked to cover in an emergency.
Utah stunned Houston last week and now have their sights set on moving further up the ladder. Greg Cooper has made three further changes in addition to the return of his try-scoring dynamo Mano from concussion on the left wing.
Paul Mullen rotates back in at tighthead prop for Angus MacLellan, with Saia Uhila adding physicality to the second row in place of Jurie van Vuuren. Caleb Makene will play on the wing for the first time in a Warriors shirt with Cliven Loubser handed his first start of the campaign at fullback.
Weather will not be an issue though the travel and altitude will certainly affect the visitors in the final quarter. The Seawolves will want to push out to an early lead given they also have a weaker bench than their hosts. Seattle’s starters have the edge and it’s worth noting the Seawolves have never lost in Utah. That’s enough to call them favorites, but this will be a real battle that could go either way.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm local time, 6:30pm Pacific, 9:30pm Eastern. Local broadcasts will be available on KMYU and KSL Sports in Utah, and Root Sports Plus in Seattle. Viewers located elsewhere around the world can watch on The Rugby Network.
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Olive Kilifi, 2 Tuvere Vugakoto, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Saia Uhila, 5 Onehunga Havili, 6 Bailey Wilson (capt.), 7 Lance Williams, 8 Thomas Tu’avao, 9 Connor McLeod, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Joe Mano, 12 Tyler Fisher, 13 Mika Kruse, 14 Caleb Makene, 15 Cliven Loubser
Replacements: 16 Joey Backe, 17 Franco van den Berg, 18 Angus MacLellan, 19 Jurie van Vuuren, 20 Jeremiah Noaese, 21 Zion Going, 22 Calvin Whiting, 23 Logan Tago
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Mzamo Majola, 2 Peter Malcolm, 3 Sam Matenga, 4 Ben Landry, 5 Ben Mitchell, 6 Charles Elton, 7 Nakai Penny, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 AJ Alatimu, 11 Martin Iosefo, 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Duncan Matthews, 14 Lauina Futi, 15 Adriaan Carelse
Replacements: 16 Dewald Donald, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Taylor Krumrei, 20 Isaia Lotawa, 21 Karl Keane, 22 Conner Mooneyham, 23 Mat Turner
Date: Saturday, April 15
Venue: Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman
Kickoff: 19:30 local (18:30 Pacific, 21:30 Eastern)
Broadcasts: KMYU, KSL Sports, Root Sports Plus, The Rugby Network
Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
Assistants: Kahlil Harrison (USA) & Kage Green (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
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)
