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Major League Rugby lands in Orange County for the first time on Sunday when RFC Los Angeles hosts Miami. It’s a crucial game for the home side, who need a win to keep their Western Conference playoff hopes alive. For the Sharks there is slightly less pressure with a five-point buffer ahead of NOLA, but a bonus point victory would be enough to clinch their spot in the Eastern Conference Semi Final.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
6-6-1 (W2) West 5th
7-6-0 (W2) East 4th
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 8 | Semi Kunatani | Ed Timpson |
| 9 | Tas Smith | Gonzalo Bertranou |
|
IN | OUT |
| 2 | Sean McNulty | Kirby Myhill |
| 5 | Mauro Rebussone | Federico Gutiérrez |
| 6 | Tomás Bekerman | Manuel Ardao |
| 8 | Marques Fuala’au | Ronan Foley |
| 9 | Tomás Inciarte | Tomás Cubelli |
| 12 | Santiago Videla | Tomás Cubilla |
| 14 | Tomás Malanos | Marcos Young |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(11) – Damm (USA), Heaton, Coe, O’Gorman (Canada), Kunatani (Fiji), Leali’ifano (Samoa)
(13) – McNulty, Casares, Bonasso (USA), Inciarte, Ardao (Uruguay), Morra, O’Leary, du Toit (Canada), Videla (Chile), Orlando, Cubelli (Argentina), Myhill (Wales), Koloamatangi (Tonga)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(1) – Christensen
(0) – none
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Ben Houston (N8), Gonzalo Bertranou (SH), Christian Dyer (WI)
– Reinaldo Piussi (TH), Ronan Foley (N8), Tomás Cubilla (CE)
| PREDICTION |
It’s a familiar lineup for LA fans, with the exception of scrumhalf where Tas Smith deputises for the suspended Gonzalo Bertranou. The home side will be looking to move the ball around in sunny conditions, but their opponents are also attracted to wide open rugby. Miami are a much improved side in the second half of the season though they have curiously opted to leave international stars Manuel Ardao and Tomas Cubelli on the bench. Sharks fans will be hoping they won’t have to be playing too much catch-up. Los Angeles are slight favorites at home.
| LINEUPS |
RFC LOS ANGELES
1 Alessandro Heaney, 2 Ben Sugars, 3 Maliu Niuafe, 4 Jason Damm (capt.), 5 Jurie van Vuuren, 6 Tim Anstee, 7 Matt Heaton, 8 Semi Kunatani, 9 Tas Smith, 10 Christian Leali’ifano, 11 Rory van Vugt, 12 Billy Meakes, 13 Nick Chan, 14 Andrew Coe, 15 Vaughen Isaacs
Replacements: 16 Ben Strang, 17 Timmy Ohlwein, 18 Franco van den Berg, 19 Lucas Bur, 20 Reegan O’Gorman, 21 Danny Christensen, 22 Matt Anticev, 23 Reece MacDonald
MIAMI SHARKS
1 Ma’ake Muti, 2 Sean McNulty, 3 Alec McDonnell, 4 Tomás Casares, 5 Mauro Rebussone, 6 Tomás Bekerman, 7 Benjamín Bonasso, 8 Marques Fuala’au, 9 Tomás Inciarte, 10 Martín Elías, 11 Josiah Morra, 12 Santiago Videla, 13 Matías Orlando (capt.), 14 Tomás Malanos, 15 Shane O’Leary
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Alex Tucci, 18 Tau Koloamatangi, 19 Rick Rose, 20 Manuel Ardao, 21 Tomás Cubelli, 22 Guiseppe du Toit, 23 Marcos Young
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Sunday, May 25
Venue: The Great Park, Irvine
Kickoff: 15:00 local (18:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 70°F (21°C), wind SW 8-12mph (13-19km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Fan Duel Florida/SoCal, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: Kahlil Harrison (USA) & Kirk Swanner (USA)
TMO: Cam Russell (Canada)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (1) – Los Angeles 1, Miami 0
2024-06-02 – RFC Los Angeles 45, Miami Sharks 15 (Dignity Health Stadium)
