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New England finally got one in the win column last week and the defending champions will be desperate to close out the first half of the regular season with a victory at home on Sunday. They’ll be up against the struggling Seawolves, who are on three straight defeats and are again forced to make the long trip east without some of their top players.
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
 |
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Tevita Sole | Nate Sylvia |
 |
IN | OUT |
| 1 | LaRome White | Ezekiel Lindenmuth |
| 4 | Callum Botchar | Kalisi Moli |
| 11 | Michael Hand | Davy Coetzer |
| 14 | Nolan Tuamoheloa | Drake Davis |
| NOTES |
- Injured / unavailable – (Free Jacks) Maliu Niuafe, Joe Johnston, Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, Ben LeSage; (Seawolves) Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Dewald Donald, Sean McNulty, Harison Mataele, Davy Coetzer, Dorian Jones, Mark Bennett, Lauina Futi, Rufus McLean
- the only chance to the Free Jacks lineup is enforced, with Nate Sylvia asked to cover tighthead prop off the bench in the absence of Maliu Niuafe… Tevita Sole starts at loosehead
- New England have opted for a conventional 5/3 split among the reserves with versatile back Line Latu added at the expense of loose forward Tevita Mapa
- reinforcements are on the way to New England… hooker Adam Chadwick, flyhalf or fullback Cam Gerlach, and winger Paula Balekana are expected to arrive next week… Eagles eightman Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz is still tied up with club commitments in France
- the Seawolves have lost loosehead prop Ezekiel Lindenmuth to suspension this week and Davy Coetzer to injury… with Dorian Jones also out, André Warner is asked to fill in at flyhalf with JP Smith back in his preferred scrumhalf role
- Canadian international Callum Botchar gets his first start in Seawolves colors… the abrasive lock pushes Marno Redelinghuys back to the side of the scrum with Kalisi Moli named on the bench
| PREDICTION |
Blustery conditions are expected which could make things a challenge for kickers and the back three. Coetzer’s loss is significant in that regard, with the Seawolves likely to rely on Smith’s boot to contest field position. The Free Jacks are still adjusting to their new lineup but last week was a big step in the right direction and they’ll have enjoyed the week at home to work on fine tuning. New England are favorites at home in Quincy.
| TEAMS |
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Tevita Sole, 2 Sione Tupou, 3 Filipe Vakasiuola, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Reuben Palmer, 6 Bailey Wilson, 7 Jacob Norris, 8 Alex Mackenzie, 9 Oscar Lennon, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Killian Coghlan, 12 Kienan Higgins, 13 Wayne van der Bank (capt.), 14 Nathan Salmon, 15 Mitch Wilson
Replacements: 16 Kaleb Geiger, 17 Kyle Ciquera, 18 Nate Sylvia, 19 Ollie Aylmer, 20 Braemar Murray, 21 Ethan McVeigh, 22 Line Latu, 23 Harrison Boyle
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 LaRome White, 2 Dewald Kotze, 3 Ignacio Péculo, 4 Callum Botchar, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Marno Redelinghuys, 7 Paddy Ryan, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 André Warner, 11 Michael Hand, 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Divan Rossouw, 14 Nolan Tuamoheloa, 15 Duncan Matthews
Replacements: 16 Liki Chan-Tung, 17 Charlie Walsh, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Kalisi Moli, 20 Tia’i Vavao, 21 Nick Boyer, 22 Calvin Liulamaga, 23 Drake Davis
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Sunday, May 3
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Kickoff: 16:00 local (13:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: partly cloudy, 57°F (14°C), wind NW 17-35 mph (27-57 km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports (International), NBC Sports Boston (Local), Kong 6 (Local)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada)
Assistants: Federico Anselmi (Argentina) & Cam Russell (Canada)
TMO: n/a
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (8) – Free Jacks 5, Seawolves 3
2025-06-01 – New England Free Jacks 37, Seattle Seawolves 30 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2025-03-08 – Seattle Seawolves 27, New England Free Jacks 24 (Starfire Stadium)
2024-08-04 – New England Free Jacks 20, Seattle Seawolves 11 (Snapdragon Stadium)
2024-04-20 – New England Free Jacks 21, Seattle Seawolves 29 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2023-06-11 – Seattle Seawolves 26, New England Free Jacks 34 (Starfire Stadium)
2022-04-09 – New England Free Jacks 24, Seattle Seawolves 22 (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
2021-06-13 – New England Free Jacks 25, Seattle Seawolves 21 (Union Point Stadium)
2020-02-29 – Seattle Seawolves 44, New England Free Jacks 29 (Starfire Stadium)
