LA survives SaberCats scare in Houston

The LA Giltinis survived a stern challenge from the Houston SaberCats at AVEVA Stadium on Saturday evening. It wasn’t until the final quarter when they pulled away to secure the 48-33 win, with the home side just one point behind until the 65th minute.

Barely two minutes were on the clock when LA opened the scoring. The backline looked well marked but offloads by Ryan James, Adam Ashley-Cooper, and Christian Poidevin in rapid succession put a trailing Harrison Goddard over for the try. Luke Carty’s kick rang off the outside of the upright and the flags stayed down.

A long-range penalty attempt from Sam Windsor went begging but the Giltinis were soon stunned. Nick Boyer broke from a scrum and Robbie Povey sold a dummy, flying through the gap and stepping the last defender to score a sensational try. Windsor pushed the conversion wide but the scores were level.

The Giltinis fired straight back. An initial foray was repelled but Luke Burton’s cross kick bounced up perfectly for DTH van der Merwe and the flying winger gathered in mid-stride for LA’s second try.

Windsor finally found his radar with a penalty goal just ahead of the hydration break. On the other side of it Zach Pangelinan pounced on a telegraph from Burton and looked certain to go all the way. Something gave way in his leg and the winger toppled over untouched, but Taylor Howden was first in support to take the pass in for the try and give the SaberCats an unlikely lead.

As Pangelinan limped off, Windsor missed the extras and once again LA wasted no time in erasing Houston’s effort. Mahe Vailanu made ground with a half-break and then Carty ghosted through a gap. Vailanu was there to link with Nathan Den Hoedt, the big lock striding the rest of the way. Carty’s radar was also struggling in the wind with his conversion attempt curling outside the left upright.

The script repeated itself at the half-hour mark. Windsor knocked over a penalty goal but within seconds the Cats were on the back foot. Ashley-Cooper snagged the restart and the ball went wide to van der Merwe who slipped around the outside. A few phases later Goddard spotted space on the edge of a ruck and took full advantage, sliding over for the bonus point try.

Houston fans could have been forgiven for thinking they were stuck in a time loop in the very next sequence. Yet again Windsor sent over three points, and yet again LA struck back immediately with a try. Vailanu ripped possession away in a tackle and then Angus Cottrell galloped through a porous defensive line to score.

Half time game with the score 29-19 in favor of the visitors but the intermission only offered brief respite from the madness. A minute into the second stanza Tiaan Erasmus charged through an opening and then Povey – as he had earlier – dummied and stepped through for his second.

The SaberCats immediately kicked possession back and then conceded a penalty. From the lineout it was a simple walk-in for the pack with Vailanu the man on the back to fall over for the five points. Matt Giteau, now on for Carty, pushed his first conversion attempt past the posts.

LA were not home and dry yet. A fourth Houston try came from Boyer, who took it upon himself to barge over from close range against the team who had released the Eagles scrumhalf just a month ago. Windsor tacked on the extra two and the line was now 34-33 to the visitors.

Replacements entered the match and disrupted the flow for a period before Vailanu went in for his double. The tanks were finally running dry for Houston as Lindsey Stevens hammered home the final nail, with a try on the back of a driving maul against his former team.

Both teams return to action next Saturday. LA return to the Coliseum to face California neighbors San Diego. Houston hit the road to take on the Warriors at Zions Bank Stadium.

SCORING

HOUSTON 33
Tries – R. Povey 2 (10’, 41’), T. Howden (23’), N. Boyer (52’)
Cons – S. Windsor 2/4 (42’, 53’)
Pens – S. Windsor 3/4 (21’, 31’, 35’)

LA 48
Tries – H. Goddard 2 (2’, 32’), D. van der Merwe (15’), N. Den Hoedt (26’), A. Cottrell (36’), M. Vailanu 2 (45’, 65’), L. Stevens (75’)
Cons – L. Carty 2/5 (16’, 33’), M. Giteau 0/1, L. Burton 2/2 (66’, 76’)

TEAMS

HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Nikoloz Khatiashvili (18 Nik Hildebrand 71’), 2 Tiaan Erasmus, 3 Charlie Connolly (17 Nicolás Solveyra 46’), 4 Kody O’Neil (19 Van Stewart 60’), 5 Lucas Albornoz (22 Bronson Teles 67’), 6 Luke Beauchamp (capt.) (20 Adriaan Booysen HT), 7 Cecil Garber, 8 Diego Magno, 9 Nick Boyer, 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Zach Pangelinan (21 Zack Godfrey 24’), 12 Sam Windsor, 13 Taylor Howden, 14 Paula Balekana, 15 Matías Freyre

Not used: 16 Liam Murray, 23 Zachary Short

LA GILTINIS
1 Blake Rogers (17 Frikkie de Beer 69’), 2 Mahe Vailanu (16 Lindsey Stevens 67’), 3 Charlie Abel (18 Ma’ake Muti 76’), 4 Dave Dennis (capt.), 5 Nathan Den Hoedt (19 Corey Thomas 67’), 6 Angus Cottrell, 7 Christian Poidevin, 8 Pago Haini (20 Adam Ashe 31’), 9 Harrison Goddard (21 Cristian Rodriguez 76’), 10 Luke Carty (22 Matt Giteau HT), 11 DTH van der Merwe, 12 Luke Burton, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 Ryan James (23 Watson Filikitonga 71’), 15 Glenn Bryce

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: Jarrod Ford (USA) & Mitch Damm (USA)