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Rugby ATL and NOLA Gold renew their southern rivalry at Silverbacks Park on Saturday. In truth, however, the Gold haven’t had much of a say in the relationship. ATL have won all six of their meetings since joining Major League Rugby in 2020, including all three played last season.
It’s been a disappointing start to the campaign for the Gold, with heavy defeats in both games. The good news is that the last of their off-season signings has arrived and Kane Thompson will have a nearly full-strength lineup at his disposal.
Sean Paranihi slots straight in at tighthead prop to make his MLR bow, with Jarred Adams returning to his favored loosehead position. Cam Dolan moves up to lock, with Tom Florence shifting to the back of the scrum. Malcolm May gets his first start of the year at blindside flanker.
The backline sees just one change with Luke Campbell wearing the No9 shirt at the expense of Damian Stevens. Named on the bench behind Campbell is 2nd-overall draft pick Sebastiano Villani, now poised to make his pro debut, with tighthead prop James Irey and midfielder Aaron Matthews named in the match day squad for the first time this season.
For ATL it’s been mixed results thus far. A win over Toronto in Round 1 was followed by last week’s tough loss in Seattle. They are still working out their preferred combinations, and welcome back a standout from last season to their backline.
Te Rangatira Waitokia will start his 2023 season on the wing, with Rewita Biddle instead moving back to center and Martini Talapusi running out at fullback. Ryan Rees gets the start at scrumhalf with Rowan Gouws one of just two backs on the bench alongside Jack Shaw.
It’s all change in the front row with Jonas Petrakopoulos, Ben Strang, and John-Roy Jenkinson up first. The latter was a late withdrawal from last week’s match. Johan Momsen moves back to lock with Vili Helu and skipper Matt Heaton recalled on the flank.
Warm weather is on the forecast which should mean a strong crowd in Atlanta. The Gold were soundly beaten at the same venue last year, which adds to the mental hurdle of having never beaten ATL. If NOLA are to challenge for a playoff spot, however, these are the kinds of matches they need to win. The home side look the better team thus far and should be considered favorites, but fans can expect a hard-fought contest that could go either way.
Kickoff is set for 6pm local time, 5pm Central, 3pm Pacific. A local broadcast will be available on YurView Louisiana, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
RUGBY ATL
1 Jonas Petrakopoulos, 2 Ben Strang, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 4 Justin Basson, 5 Johan Momsen, 6 Vili Helu, 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Jason Damm, 9 Ryan Rees, 10 Kurt Coleman, 11 Austin White, 12 Rewita Biddle, 13 Will Leonard, 14 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 15 Martini Talapusi
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Erasmus, 17 Alex Maughan, 18 Will Burke, 19 Jordan Brown, 20 Frederick Henry-Ajudua, 21 Ross Deacon, 22 Rowan Gouws, 23 Jack Shaw
NOLA GOLD
1 Jarred Adams, 2 Pat O’Toole, 3 Sean Paranihi, 4 Cam Dolan (capt.), 5 Liam Hallam-Eames, 6 Malcolm May, 7 Moni Tonga’uiha, 8 Tom Florence, 9 Luke Campbell, 10 Rodney Iona, 11 Dougie Fife, 12 Jordan Jackson-Hope, 13 JP du Plessis, 14 Harley Wheeler, 15 Jordan Trainor
Replacements: 16 Eric Howard, 17 Kevin Sullivan, 18 James Irey, 19 Billy Stewart, 20 Maciu Koroi, 21 Sebastiano Villani, 22 Aaron Matthews, 23 Ross Depperschmidt
Date: Saturday, March 4
Venue: Silverbacks Park, Atlanta
Kickoff: 18:00 local (15:00 Pacific, 17:00 Central)
Referee: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada)
Assistants: Bryan Hall (USA) & Pete Chamberlain (USA)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)
Broadcasts: The Rugby Network, YurView Louisiana
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2022-06-03 – Rugby ATL 45, NOLA Gold 19 (Silverbacks Park)
2022-04-09 – NOLA Gold 17, Rugby ATL 34 (The Gold Mine)
2022-02-12 – NOLA Gold 9, Rugby ATL 14 (The Gold Mine)
2021-06-05 – NOLA Gold 7, Rugby ATL 8 (The Gold Mine)
2021-04-24 – Rugby ATL 38, NOLA Gold 28 (Lupo Family Field)
2020-02-16 – NOLA Gold 10, Rugby ATL 22 (The Gold Mine)
