Championship Game Spot On The Line In PRP Final Weekend
Championship Game Spot On The Line In PRP Final Weekend
Pacific Rugby Premiership enters Round 10
The Pacific Rugby Premiership finishes its regular season with three games Saturday, and a spot in the championship game next week.
PRP Finals Day LIVE on FloRugby
May 5, All Day from The Little Q, San Diego, CA
SFGG (6-2-1) at Olympic Club (2-7)
SFGG needs a bonus-point victory to make the final, and even then, needs either OMBAC or Belmont Shore to fail to secure five points in their games.
SFGG will have to do it without captain Brendan Daly, who has work responsibilities, and head coach Neil Foote, who has a family event back in his home country of New Zealand. But the club does have Jack Halalilo back from injury for the second week in a row, and gets a second-straight start for multi-skilled hooker Neil Barrett. All three Okusi brothers - Opeti, Tevita, and Eakalafi, start for SFGG.
Last week's player of the game, Akuila Uaisele, leads the team with nine tries on the season.
For Olympic Club, next week will be a date with Santa Monica for the 5th/6th game regardless of the outcome. But, led by the power-running Drew Gaffney, and with center Josh Tucker producing some strong performances, OC is not a pushover.
Tucker is tied for 5th in the league with 58 points scores.
SFGG | Pos./No. | Olympic Club |
Ngaluafe, Haniteli | 1 | Wagner, Nicholas |
Barrett, Neill | 2 | Moscone, Travis |
Sylvia, Nathan | 3 | Bernardi, Thomas |
Hardiman, Brendan | 4 | Bowers, Mark |
Grass, Nickolas | 5 | Hall, Henry |
Okusi, Opeti | 6 | Mohr, Tanner |
Tonga, Matangi | 7 | Ginella-Eiermann, Zavier |
Uaisele, Akuila | 8 | Gaffney, Drew |
Stevens, Colby | 9 | Strom, Zach |
Halalilo, Jack | 10 | Haley, Michael |
Okusi, Tevita | 11 | Caindec, Conrad |
Okusi, Eakalafi | 12 | Tucker, Josh |
Vidgeon, Oliver | 13 | Jones IV, James |
Vailala, Fatai | 14 | Gallo, John |
Ratumaimuri, Isimeli | 15 | Muhn, Dustin |
Latu, Patrick | 16 | Galant, Joshua |
Colata, Jeff | 17 | Deaile, Donald |
Puamau, Kasima | 18 | Alessi, Ryan |
Peri, Samuel | 19 | Balough, Kyle |
Bacigalupi, Jack | 20 | Carey, Austin |
Hardiman, Declan | 21 | Grant, Todd |
Pone, Samisoni | 22 | Garcia, Marguise |
Huihui, Lisiate | 23 | Deneys, Paul |
OMBAC (7-2) at Santa Monica (2-7)
OMBAC was almost assured of a spot in the final two games ago, but after starting 7-0, the San Diego club lost two on the trot and sit 7-2. The good news? The first tiebreaker in the league is best won-loss record, and OMBAC is 7-2 while SFGG and Belmont Shore sit 6-2-1. So even if they all tie, OMBAC will still have a better won-loss record.
This week, no player-coach Tai Tuisamoa, who lead the team with 12 tries, good for 2nd in the league. Watch out for wing Tim Stanfill, who has scored nine times, and it's interesting to see Michael Dillon move from fullback to flyhalf, and Garrett Brewer move from flyhalf to fullback.
There are moves within the pack, too, with Bruce Thomas going to No. 8 and Shane Moise - normally a flanker - starting at lock. But all-everything prop Jed Gillespie should keep it all together.
For Santa Monica, the Dolphins will play Olympic Club next week for 5th regardless of how this game does. But Santa Monica has enjoyed some solid performances, notable from center Iain Herriott, and is actually 2-2 in its last four.
Fullback Quinn Perry leads the team with four tries on the season.
OMBAC | Pos./No. | Santa Monica |
Gillespie, Jed | 1 | Henderson, Brett |
Auimatagi, Oliva | 2 | Clancy, Conor |
Willis, Ethan | 3 | Cleere, Robert |
Moise, Shane | 4 | Waszkowski, Michael |
Carroll, Todd | 5 | Allman, Christopher |
Hernandez, Edlen | 6 | Flynn, Daniel |
Te'o, Faafetai | 7 | Cartwright, Ralph |
Thomas, Bruce | 8 | Spring, Shane |
Purdon, Charles | 9 | Woo, Victor |
Dillon, Michael | 10 | Lee, shawn |
Stanfill, Tim | 11 | Corruth, Allen |
Setafene, Mila | 12 | Stagg, Steve |
Sarks, James | 13 | Herriott, Iain |
Denham, Ian | 14 | Chan, Pak Hang |
Brewer, Garrett | 15 | Perry, Quinn |
Ramirez, Jeremy | 16 | Kamyab, Sebastien |
Nelson, Jacob | 17 | Stock, Andrew |
Abdulahad, Johnny | 18 | Perlin, Daniel |
Wagner, Jackson | 19 | Khodaverdy, Levik |
Alley, Austin | 20 | Tandy, Edward |
Purcell, Jamie | 21 | Amaya, David |
Johnson II, Stevie Barnard | 22 | Romain, Hudson |
Beggs, Logan | 23 |
Belmont Shore (6-2-1) at Life West (3-6)
Win or lose, Life West will play for 3rd next week. We do not have the Life West gameday roster at present, but will update this article when it is submitted. Calvin Nell has been consistently good for Life West this season as a center or flyhalf, and flanker/lock Zach Bonte has, as well. Viliami Soakai leads the team with five tries.
Life West might be 3-6, but the Gladiators aren't far off. Their biggest losing margin was 12 points, and almost all have been in doubt late in the game.
For Belmont Shore, the key is to keep pace with SFGG. Since Shore beat SFGG by a point in Week 1, and tied Gate in Week 6, the Long Beach team holds the tiebreaker between the two. That means, if they have the same points total in the standings, Belmont Shore is guaranteed a place in the final.
Lately, Shore's success has been on the back, or rather the legs and eyes, of Viliame Iongi. The former Tongan international has scored 11 tries in three games and leads the league with 14.
Flanker Robert Newcomb has been a revelation, and Max Paronelli, a local product from Long Beach State, has been dangerous.
Belmont Shore | Pos./No. | Life West |
Seanoa, Mafi Malua | 1 | Roster TBA |
Finlay, Scott | 2 | |
Masoe, Maze | 3 | |
Lilley, Samuel | 4 | |
Nasoqeqe, Keni | 5 | |
Newcomb, Robert | 6 | |
Weischedel, Benjamin | 7 | |
Gorman, Sean | 8 | |
Thomas, Daniel | 9 | |
Walsh, Matthew | 10 | |
Paronelli, Max | 11 | |
Pitts, Edgar | 12 | |
Sio, Peter | 13 | |
Daniel, Greg | 14 | |
longi, Viliame | 15 | |
Fletcher, Alexander | 16 | |
Jackson, Andrew | 17 | |
McMaster, David | 18 | |
Pye, Nolan | 19 | |
Luga Faatoese | 20 | |
Muse, James | 21 | |
Semeane, Pita | 22 | |
Whitlock, Travis | 23 |
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