MLR 2024: New England Free Jacks vs Seattle Seawolves

The biggest game of the weekend is up first as the two conference leaders clash at Fort Quincy. New England’s only slip-up of the year was their home opener against DC, while Seattle have been perfect aside from their narrow loss to Houston in Week 4.

CURRENT STANDINGS

5-1-0 (W4) East 1st

6-1-0 (W3) West 1st

LINEUP CHANGES

1 Kyle Ciquera replaces Malakai Hala-Ngatai
2 Andrew Quattrin rotates with 16 Sean Ralph
13 Ben LeSage replaces Le Roux Malan (injury)
17 Malakai Hala-Ngatai replaces Foster DeWitt
22 Killian Coghlan replaces Ben LeSage

1 Dewald Donald rotates with 18 Chance Wenglewski
7 Kara Pryor replaces Reid Davis
10 Mack Mason replaces Sam Windsor
14 Conner Mooneyham replaces Jade Stighling
22 Sam Windsor replaces David Busby
23 Tavite Lopeti replaces Conner Mooneyham

CAPPED INTERNATIONALS

(9) – Quattrin, Keith, Larsen, Keys, von Dadelszen, LeSage (Canada), Conradie (Namibia), Geiger, Wilson (USA)

(7) – Taufete’e, Hattingh, Wenglewski, Rees, Lopeti (USA), Kuridrani (Australia), Rossouw (Namibia)

CLUB DEBUTS

(0) – n/a

(1) – Kara Pryor

NOTABLE ABSENTEES

– John Poland (SH), Le Roux Malan (CE)

– Cameron Orr (LH), Peter Malcolm (HO), Huw Taylor (LO/FL), Lauina Futi (WI)

NOTES

this will be the third time Seattle have traveled to New England… both previous games were won by the Free Jacks, though both by narrow margins of under 5 points
New England have rotated their front row, as they often do, with the only other change coming in the midfield where Le Roux Malan sits out with Ben LeSage getting the start
Malan’s absence means that only one Namibian international suits up for New England… Wian Conradie will play against his World Cup teammate Divan Rossouw, Seattle’s fullback
Dewald Donald, Kara Pryor, and Conner Mooneyham get their first starts of the season for Seattle… Pryor makes his club debut after signing on from New York… his selection means that there is no room under the import cap for winger Jade Stighling
Dan Kriel and Tevita Kuridrani swap jerseys in the midfield… both now revert to their preferred positions… Kuridrani played inside center in his first two games for Seattle, presumably to give him less defensive pressure after returning from a two-year hiatus from pro rugby
Mack Mason returns to the Seawolves lineup after being rested for the road trip to Los Angeles… Sam Windsor retains his spot in the squad but will come off the bench
USA Eagles midfielder Tavite Lopeti is back in the Seawolves squad after a six-week absence… his only other appearance this year was the season opener against San Diego
Seawolves replacement Pago Haini spent two years with New England… he played during their exhibition campaign in 2019 and was on the roster in 2020 but did see any game time before the season was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic

PREDICTION

Bragging rights for top team in Major League Rugby are on the line, and both teams field powerful lineups. Pryor’s selection is a boost to Seattle’s pack though it comes at the expense of in-form winger Stighling. The Free Jacks will be confident coming off a big road win against the previously unbeaten SaberCats. New England are slight favorites at home.

LINEUPS

NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
1 Kyle Ciquera, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Cole Keith, 4 Josh Larsen, 5 Conor Keys, 6 Piers von Dadelszen, 7 Mitch Jacobson (capt.), 8 Wian Conradie, 9 Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, 10 Jayson Potroz, 11 Paula Balekana, 12 Wayne van der Bank, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Mitch Wilson, 15 Reece MacDonald

Replacements: 16 Sean Ralph, 17 Malakai Hala-Ngatai, 18 Kaleb Geiger, 19 Jackson Thiebes, 20 Seta Baker, 21 Holden Yungert, 22 Killian Coghlan, 23 Danyon Morgan-Puterangi

SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Dewald Donald, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 3 Sam Matenga, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 5 Jean Droste, 6 Charles Elton, 7 Kara Pryor, 8 Riekert Hattingh (capt.), 9 JP Smith, 10 Mack Mason, 11 Toni Pulu, 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 14 Conner Mooneyham, 15 Divan Rossouw

Replacements: 16 DaQuan Perry, 17 Kellen Gordon, 18 Chance Wenglewski, 19 Taylor Krumrei, 20 Pago Haini, 21 Ryan Rees, 22 Sam Windsor, 23 Tavite Lopeti

MATCH INFO

Date: Saturday, April 20
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Kickoff: 14:00 local (11:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: cloudy, 55°F (13°C), wind SW 6-9mph (10-14km/h)
Broadcasts: Fox 13+ Seattle, NBC Sports Boston, The Rugby Network