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A pair of teams with aspirations of a trip to Rhode Island in June will square off at Salt Lake on Saturday night. The Utah Warriors are within touching distance of the top of the Western Conference after back-to-back wins, while the Chicago Hounds are in the thick of the Eastern Conference race with only two points separating them from the defending champion Free Jacks.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
6-2-0 (W2) West 2nd
7-2-0 (L1) East 2nd
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Fred Apulu | Aki Seiuli |
| 2 | Phil Bradford | Liam Coltman |
| 3 | Angus MacLellan | Tonga Kofe |
| 7 | Lance Williams | Kalisi Moli |
| 8 | Reid Davis | Dylan Nel |
| 9 | Logan Crowley | Zion Going |
| 13 | Kyle Brown | Cole Semu |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Zura Zhvania | Faka’osi Pifeleti |
| 2 | Dylan Fawsitt | Janus Venter |
| 3 | Ignacio Péculo | Charlie Abel |
| 4 | Mason Flesch | James Scott |
| 6 | Brad Tucker | Luke White |
| 7 | Maclean Jones | Lucas Rumball |
| 10 | Christopher Hilsenbeck | Tim Swiel |
| 11 | Nate Augspurger | Noah Brown |
| 13 | Ollie Devoto | Bryce Campbell |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(9) – MacLellan, Jensen, Wilson, Mano, Uhila, Lasike (USA), Leuila, Seiuli (Samoa), Vugakoto (Fiji)
(13) – Zhvania (Georgia), Fawsitt, Baska, Augspurger, O’Keeffe, White, Brown (USA), Péculo (Uruguay), M Flesch, Oworu, N Flesch (Canada), Hilsenbeck (Germany), Devoto (England)
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Liam Coltman (HO), Gavin Thornbury (LO), Spencer Jones (CE)
– James Scott (LO), Bryce Campbell (CE), Julián Domínguez (WI)
| PREDICTION |
Both teams have rotated their forward packs to stay fresh in the midst of the challenging storm week matches. The Hounds have rested a handful of names including regular skipper Lucas Rumball, with Christopher Hilsenbeck recalled at flyhalf in place of the suspended Tim Swiel. Meanwhile the Utah back row features the return of club legend Lance Williams after a spell with the USA Sevens side. A strong bench lists a handful of regular starters. Despite playing better on the road this season, the Warriors are in better form and on paper have a stronger match day squad. Utah are slight favorites at home.
| LINEUPS |
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Fred Apulu, 2 Phil Bradford, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 Frank Lochore, 5 Matt Jensen, 6 Bailey Wilson, 7 Lance Williams, 8 Reid Davis, 9 Logan Crowley, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Joe Mano, 12 D’Angelo Leuila, 13 Kyle Brown, 14 Nic Benn, 15 Jordan Trainor (capt.)
Replacements: 16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Remsy Lemisio, 19 Saia Uhila, 20 Dylan Nel, 21 Zion Going, 22 Paul Lasike, 23 Cole Semu
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 Zura Zhvania, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Ignacio Péculo, 4 Mason Flesch, 5 Hamish Bain, 6 Brad Tucker, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Matthew Oworu, 9 Michael Baska, 10 Christopher Hilsenbeck, 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Noah Flesch, 13 Ollie Devoto (capt.), 14 Mark O’Keeffe, 15 Michael Hand
Replacements: 16 Jackson Zabierek, 17 Liam Fletcher, 18 Koby Baker, 19 Conall Boomer, 20 Luke White, 21 Mitch Short, 22 Adriaan Carelse, 23 Noah Brown
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, April 26
Venue: Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman
Kickoff: 19:00 local (18:00 Pacific, 20:00 Central, 21:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: cloudy, 66°F (19°C), SE 8-12mph (13-19km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Fox Chicago+, KJZZ, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistants: Kahlil Harrison (USA) & Alex Nunnally (USA)
TMO: Mike Kelly (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (4) – Utah 3, Chicago 1
2025-02-23 – Chicago Hounds 31, Utah Warriors 45 (SeatGeek Stadium)
2024-03-09 – Utah Warriors 29, Chicago Hounds 15 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2023-06-10 – Utah Warriors 24, Chicago Hounds 26 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2023-03-05 – Chicago Hounds 10, Utah Warriors 14 (SeatGeek Stadium)
