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You would be forgiven if you thought you had seen this one before. For a second consecutive week the LA Giltinis and Utah Warriors will take the field opposite each other. This time however it’s in the Western Conference Final and the backdrop will be the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Last weekend’s victory will have given the Warriors confidence but context is everything. Having already tied up home field advantage in the postseason, LA rested a number of their top players while Utah opted to field their best with the chance to host a Championship Final in the event New York was victorious in the East Final.
A more appropriate comparison might be their first meeting of the season at SoFi Stadium. On that day the Giltinis were convincing winners though the Warriors were very much competitive and might have come closer had the ball bounced differently on the day.
Continuity has been a key part of Utah’s success and it is unsurprising that most of the lineup has stayed the same. There are however two significant changes to the starting side.
Lance Williams and Josh Whippy are notable absentees. With no Thomas Tu’avao available either Aston Fortuin moves to the back row for the first time this season, with Saia Uhila coming in at lock. Chad Gough is added to the bench as extra cover at hooker or flanker.
Whippy’s wing spot sees a like-for-like substitution with James Vaifale stepping into the run-on side. Danny Christensen covers halfback with Fraser Hurst suspended and there is good news as Cliven Loubser is fit to take up a spot among the reserves.
As expected there are numerous changes to the Giltinis lineup. Missing from a full strength side are injured Scotsmen Adam Ashe and Glenn Bryce, while Angus Cottrell serves the final week of his suspension in the hopes of lacing up the boots in the Final.
JP Smith and Marco Fepulea’i come in at prop with regular tighthead Charlie Abel surprisingly left on the bench. Dave Dennis returns to captain the side and like Utah there is a lock on the blindside in Nathan Den Hoedt. Newly-capped Canadian international Corey Thomas wears the No8 shirt for the first time this season.
The backline is restored to its full complement with the exception of Bryce. Harrison Goddard and Matt Giteau are the halfbacks with Bill Meakes and Adam Ashley-Cooper in the midfield. DTH van der Merwe and John Ryberg are on the wing with Luke Burton shifting to fullback.
LA’s depth has been tested in recent weeks but their bench for Sunday is imposing. Sean McNulty returns to cover hooker with Sean O’Brien and Pago Haini both covering the back row. Eagles tourists Luke Carty and Ryan James are present, and multi-skilled Fijian Seru Vularika covers scrumhalf, center, and fullback.
Perfect conditions for running rugby are on the forecast which suggests an engaging contest. Both teams are opting for big, meaty forward packs with the lineout in mind. It does perhaps leave a little extra space out wide which is music to the ears for Utah’s deadly combination of Mike Te’o and Mika Kruse.
Goddard and Giteau have been commanding figures for the Giltinis all season and the Warriors will be intent on reducing their decision-making time. Utah might also be quietly confident in the scrum, where they enjoyed an advantage last weekend. On paper LA are favorites but the Warriors are very much in the fight. Expect this one to come down to the wire.
Kickoff is set for 3pm local time, 4pm Mountain, 6pm Eastern. CBS Sports Network will broadcast nationwide with The Rugby Network streaming to viewers in Canada and abroad.
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Olive Kilifi, 2 Sama Malolo, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 Saia Uhila, 5 Matt Jensen, 6 Aston Fortuin, 7 Bailey Wilson (capt.), 8 Jurie van Vuuren, 9 Michael Baska, 10 Hagen Schulte, 11 Mika Kruse, 12 Calvin Whiting, 13 Tyler Fisher, 14 James Vaifale, 15 Mike Te’o
Replacements: 16 Veremalua Vugakoto, 17 Franco van den Berg, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Chad Gough, 20 Mike Gieselman, 21 Danny Christensen, 22 Cliven Loubser, 23 Logan Tago
LA GILTINIS
1 Jean-Pierre Smith, 2 Mahe Vailanu, 3 Marco Fepulea’i, 4 Dave Dennis (capt.), 5 Luke White, 6 Nathan Den Hoedt, 7 Christian Poidevin, 8 Corey Thomas, 9 Harrison Goddard, 10 Matt Giteau, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 12 Bill Meakes, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 14 John Ryberg, 15 Luke Burton
Replacements: 16 Sean McNulty, 17 Blake Rogers, 18 Charlie Abel, 19 Sean O’Brien, 20 Pago Haini, 21 Luke Carty, 22 Ryan James, 23 Serupepeli Vularika
Date: Sunday, July 25
Venue: Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
Kickoff: 15:00 local (16:00 Mountain, 18:00 Eastern)
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistants: Scott Green (USA) & Austin Reed (USA)
TMO: tba
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, The Rugby Network
Historical Results
2021-07-17 – Utah Warriors 34, LA Giltinis 29 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2021-05-15 – LA Giltinis 38, Utah Warriors 27 (SoFi Stadium)
