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Once the Seawolves and Legion have sorted out their differences, it will be up to the Glendale Raptors and Utah Warriors to decide who will advance to the Major League Rugby Final as they contest the second Semi Final of a double header at Infinity Park on Saturday. Glendale were at last brought down to earth last weekend by San Diego, while Utah have made incremental improvements throughout the season and have the ability to make something out of nothing.
With the return of his Eagles contingent Raptors coach Dave Williams is spoiled for choice. Nine changes in all have been made to the run-on side from the team that fell to the Legion, with the bench also undergoing significant alterations.
Kelepi Fifita is restored at tighthead prop and there is a new second row pairing in Kody O’Neil and Ben Landry. Zach Fenoglio is retained at hooker so Dylan Fawsitt strats on the flank, with fellow Eagles international John Quill on the other side of the scrum.
Star halfback duo Shaun Davies and Will Magie are back in the hot seat and Bryce Campbell takes his regular place in the midfield. Mika Kruse slides out to the wing, and Maximo de Achaval moves to fullback at the expense of Seth Halliman.
Frequent starters Luke White, Connor Cook, and Peter Dahl are forced to settle for reserve roles along with Halliman. Also named on the bench is veteran midfielder Ata Malifa while Mickey Bateman is the preferred halfback replacement.
On the other hand Utah have made only two changes to the team that earned their spot against Houston. Kurt Morath steps back into the flyhalf position in place of Jonny Linehan, and captain Paul Lasike will be the central figure in the midfield with Iniki Fa’amausili moving to the reserves.
Only two front row replacements are named in Ray Forrester and Alex Tucci, with Eagles lock Matt Jensen also left on the bench. Wineera Elkington is recalled to provide cover at openside flank with Kenny Scott likely to feature on the blindside.
On paper the clear favorites are Glendale, who have named arguably the strongest match day squad of the season. Even without the likes of Davies and Magie they have been highly competitive. With their stars back it’s very difficult to identify a weakness.
Utah cannot be simply dismissed, however. They do have an advantage in firepower. The Tameilau brothers can punch holes through any obstacle and their outside backs are a bad match-up for any team one-on-one. Lasike is a bulldozer in the midfield and Morath an accomplished field marshall.
With nothing to lose the Warriors will throw everything at their hosts, and the first half could well swing in Utah’s favor. Glendale are an 80 minute team and will not be deterred if they concede points early. Look for their staying power and tactical approach to be the difference as they pull away in the final quarter.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm local time, 6:30pm Pacific, 9:30pm Eastern. Those in Canada and the USA can watch on CBS Sports Network. International viewers can access a live stream on the MLR Facebook page.
GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Blake Rogers, 2 Zach Fenoglio, 3 Kelepi Fifita, 4 Kody O’Neil, 5 Ben Landry, 6 Dylan Fawsitt, 7 John Quill, 8 Sam Figg, 9 Shaun Davies (capt.), 10 Will Magie, 11 Mika Kruse, 12 Bryce Campbell, 13 Chad London, 14 Harley Davidson, 15 Maximo de Achaval
Replacements: 16 Luke White, 17 Nick Kwasniewski, 18 Peter Dahl, 19 Connor Cook, 20 Brian Wanless, 21 Mickey Bateman, 22 Ata Malifa, 23 Seth Halliman
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Maka Tameilau, 2 Lote Tu’ipulotu, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 John Cullen, 5 Saia Uhila, 6 Lance Williams, 7 Ara Elkington, 8 David Tameilau, 9 Joseph Nicholls, 10 Kurt Morath, 11 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 12 Paul Lasike (capt.), 13 AJ Tu’ineau, 14 Tonata Lauti, 15 Don Pati
Replacements: 16 Ray Forrester, 17 Alex Tucci, 18 Kenny Scott, 19 Matt Jensen, 20 Wineera Elkington, 21 Josh Anderson, 22 Iniki Fa’amausili, 23 Ben Nicholls
Date: Saturday, June 30
Venue: Infinity Park, Glendale
Kickoff: 19:30 local (18:30 Pacific, 21:30 Eastern)
Referee: Adam Leal (RFU)
Assistants: Chris Assmus (RC) & Josh Houston (USAR)
TMO: Dave Ardrey (USAR)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Facebook
