Glendale beat Utah to earn Seattle showdown

The Glendale Raptors earned their spot in the Major League Rugby Final with a convincing 34-21 victory over the Utah Warriors at Infinity Park on Saturday. Glendale were second-best at the scrum but completely dismantled Utah’s lineout and for much of the match dictated tempo and territory.

Sam Figg earned man-of-the-match honors with a tremendous all-around display that started early. The Australian loose forward broke down the blindside and worked a nifty give-and-go with Mika Kruse to touch down in the corner just two minutes in. Will Magie made the tough conversion and added a penalty goal to make it 10-nil at the hydration break.

Utah’s woes continued when Harley Davidson finished off a superb team try that saw the ball passed through several sets of hands before the touchdown. Figg looked to have grabbed a double from a scrappy lineout throw but was called back for a Shaun Davies knock-on. In almost the exact same circumstance Davies himself would score after Figg disrupted the Utah throw-in and at 22-nil the Warriors were in dire straits.

They were thrown a lifeline just before the half when leading try scorer Tonata Lauti tap-danced his way through the Glendale second rowers and turned Maximo de Achaval inside out with even more sensational footwork that defied description. Kurt Morath’s conversion gave his team the tenderest morsel of hope heading into the change rooms.

Further inspiration remained out of reach for the visitors. Zach Fenoglio went over at the back of a maul and then Luke White found his way through the traffic to put the game out of reach. To their credit the Warriors fought on and scored consolation tries via David Tameilau and Don Pati, but the die had already been cast.

The Raptors now gear up for their anticipated showdown with the Seattle Seawolves at San Diego’s Torero Stadium in a week’s time. Utah may choose to make the trip to take in the historic occasion but their playing commitments are now closed until the preseason begins in the fall.

 

SCORING

GLENDALE 34
Tries – S. Figg (2’), H. Davidson (28’), S. Davies (31’), Z. Fenoglio (52’), L. White (64’)
Cons – W. Magie 3/5 (3’, 29’, 53’)
Pens – W. Magie 1/1 (13’)

UTAH 21
Tries – T. Lauti (35’), D. Tameilau (68’), D. Pati (73’)
Cons – K. Morath 1/1 (36’), B. Nicholls 2/2 (69’, 73’)

 

TEAMS

GLENDALE RAPTORS
1 Blake Rogers (16 Luke White 53’), 2 Zach Fenoglio (6 Dylan Fawsitt 73’), 3 Kelepi Fifita (17 Nick Kwasniewski 66’), 4 Kody O’Neil (19 Connor Cook 53’), 5 Ben Landry, 6 Dylan Fawsitt (20 Brian Wanless 60’), 7 John Quill (18 Peter Dahl 55’), 8 Sam Figg, 9 Shaun Davies (capt.) (21 Mickey Bateman 74’), 10 Will Magie, 11 Mika Kruse (23 Nick Johnson 66’), 12 Bryce Campbell (22 Ata Malifa 39’), 13 Chad London, 14 Harley Davidson, 15 Maximo de Achaval

UTAH WARRIORS
1 Maka Tameilau (17 Alex Tucci 32’), 2 Lote Tu’ipulotu (16 Ray Forrester 57’), 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 John Cullen (19 Matt Jensen 53’), 5 Saia Uhila, 6 Lance Williams (18 Kenny Scott 66’), 7 Ara Elkington (20 Wineera Elkington 66), 8 David Tameilau, 9 Joseph Nicholls, 10 Kurt Morath (23 Ben Nicholls 66’), 11 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 12 Paul Lasike (capt.), 13 AJ Tu’ineau (22 Iniki Fa’amausili 19’), 14 Tonata Lauti (21 Josh Anderson 74’), 15 Don Pati

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Adam Leal (RFU)
Assistants: Chris Assmus (RC) & Josh Houston (USAR)
TMO: Dave Ardrey (USAR)