Late score gives LA win over Utah in thrilling West Final

The LA Giltinis have advanced to the Major League Rugby Championship Final after a thrilling 17-13 win over the Utah Warriors in Sunday’s Western Conference Final. Two tries from replacement winger Ryan James, his second with only three minutes to play, rescued the Giltinis at the Memorial Coliseum.

LA looked to have drawn first blood with an attack down the short side. Bill Meakes fended off two defenders and set Luke Burton free, but the final offload to John Ryberg was adjudged to be forward by the TMO leaving the scoreboard at zeroes.

The Giltinis lost JP Smith to injury, with Charlie Abel coming in at loosehead prop. Utah began to build momentum and with advantage Hagen Schulte missed with a speculative drop goal attempt. Abel made his presence felt with a thumping tackle to force a knock-on and halt the Warriors’ attack.

Back and forth the two teams went until at last a break went to LA. Meakes slipped between two Utah players and found Luke White in support. The ball was recycled quickly and then went wide left where Adam Ashley-Cooper was waiting, slicing back across the grain for the first try. Matt Giteau knocked over the extras to make it a full seven.

Having turned down multiple opportunities for points in favor of the corner, the Warriors settled for three from the boot of Schulte on the stroke of halftime. Utah’s lineout earned the points with two consecutive steals on LA throw-ins with Aston Fortuin looming large.

The Warriors were also starting to take the edge in the scrums, and the set piece frustration was taking its toll on the resolute Giltinis defense. A no-arms tackle from Mahe Vailanu on Olive Kilifi gave Schulte a long-range shot at the posts, and he made no mistake to claw his team back to within a single point.

Meakes was again the catalyst for a line break as his short pass put Ashley-Cooper clean through the middle. Utah’s defense forced LA into touch, and then another foray was stopped cold by a Mike Te’o turnover at the breakdown.

The pressure only increased and an inch-perfect kick from Michael Baska pinned LA on their own goal-line. Again the Giltinis couldn’t control their own throw-in and the Utah forwards powered ahead until Sama Malolo found his way through the middle for an automatic seven to give the visitors their first lead of the game.

Substitutions breathed new life into the game and LA took advantage of a penalty to kick for the corner. After numerous forward drives were repelled Harrison Goddard flung the ball wide to James in space, who was able to spin out of a tackle to score. With Giteau now off Luke Burton took the conversion and it rang off the upright to leave Utah slightly ahead.

A crunching Jurie van Vuuren tackle slipped up over the shoulder and gave another LA kicker a shot to take the lead, but Luke Carty’s attempt from 45 meters was pulled wide. It wouldn’t matter as Goddard again connected with James on the short side, with the youngster stepping Te’o on his way to a classic winger’s try.

Carty missed the kick but there wasn’t enough time for Utah to recover. The Warriors season is now over as the top two teams in the regular season ladder will now collide next Sunday in Los Angeles, with the Giltinis looking to avenge their earlier loss to Rugby ATL in Marietta.

 

SCORING

LA 17
Tries – A. Ashley-Cooper (35′), R. James 2 (68′, 77′)
Cons – M. Giteau 1/1 (36′), L. Burton 0/1, L. Carty 0/1
Pens – L. Carty 0/1

UTAH 13
Tries – S. Malolo (58′)
Cons – No kick (58′)
Pens – H. Schulte 2/2 (40′, 48′)
Drop goals – H. Schulte 0/1

 

TEAMS

LA GILTINIS
1 Jean-Pierre Smith (18 Charlie Abel 11′), 2 Mahe Vailanu (16 Sean McNulty 78′), 3 Marco Fepulea’i (17 Blake Rogers 78′), 4 Dave Dennis (capt.), 5 Luke White (19 Sean O’Brien 56′), 6 Nathan Den Hoedt, 7 Christian Poidevin (20 Pago Haini 76′), 8 Corey Thomas, 9 Harrison Goddard, 10 Matt Giteau (21 Ryan James 61′), 11 DTH van der Merwe, 12 Bill Meakes, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 John Ryberg (22 Luke Carty 53′), 15 Luke Burton (23 Serupepeli Vularika 73′)

UTAH WARRIORS
1 Olive Kilifi (17 Franco van den Berg 56′), 2 Sama Malolo (16 Veremalua Vugakoto 69′), 3 Angus MacLellan (18 Paul Mullen 44′), 4 Saia Uhila, 5 Matt Jensen (19 Chad Gough 59′), 6 Aston Fortuin, 7 Bailey Wilson (capt.) (20 Mike Gieselman 71′), 8 Jurie van Vuuren, 9 Michael Baska, 10 Hagen Schulte (23 Logan Tago 61′), 11 Mika Kruse, 12 Calvin Whiting, 13 Tyler Fisher, 14 James Vaifale (22 Cliven Loubser 56′), 15 Mike Te’o

Not used: 21 Danny Christensen

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistants: Scott Green (USA) & Austin Reed (USA)
TMO: Davey Ardrey (USA)