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The LA Giltinis inched closer to securing top spot in the Western Conference with a 39-32 win over the Utah Warriors at Zions Bank Stadium on Saturday. Discipline cost the home side with three yellow cards brandished in a span of 17 minutes and a red card to Niall Saunders on full-time.
Both sides threated with early scoring opportunities. Paul Lasike powered upfield for Utah but the Warriors knocked-on with the goal line in sight. At the other end a grubber from Billy Meakes reached the dead ball line just ahead of Christian Poidevin.
The Giltinis would find the board first. From an attacking lineout they piled ahead until Charlie Abel barged in from close range for the try. Luke Carty added the extras to make it a full seven.
Utah responded with a try of their own. Chad Gough crashed over the gainline and then Lasike with a full head of steam proved unstoppable. Calvin Whiting’s conversion attempt was off-target and the visitors held on to their slender lead.
Carty landed a routine penalty goal to make it a five-point gap, but the Warriors were hungry and they would soon pile over for a second try. It came via the lineout drive with Gough providing the throw-in and the grounding. This time Whiting was on song and Utah nudged ahead by two.
A second penalty from Carty on the half-hour mark put LA back into a lead they would not relinquish. Just before halftime Carty’s chip kick bounced up perfectly for Meakes, who in turn offloaded to a flying Poidevin for a spectacular try. As Carty landed the conversion Joe Mano was shown yellow for a late hit behind the play.
The Warriors won possession to start the second half. LA’s defense looked to have covered the field but Jurie van Vuuren popped up on Saia Uhila’s inside shoulder, exploded through the gap and sprinted clear with nobody at home to stop him from 40 meters out.
Connor Burns soon joined Mano on the sideline after a deliberate knock-on. Just a minute later the driving maul did its job for the Giltinis with Lindsey Stevens taking credit for the try. Carty expertly curled the kick in from the right side to push LA further ahead.
The gap grew with a fourth LA try. Ryan James broke free and Niall Saunders was caught offside trying to disrupt the attack. He headed to the sin bin just as Burns returned to the field. It was the lineout drive again, this time Andrew Tuala at the bottom of the pile for the grounding.
With Saunders off Mike Te’o moved into scrumhalf and Whiting landed a penalty goal. Soon after Te’o would tap quickly at a scrum penalty and Olive Kilifi drove through three defenders to breach the try line. A quick conversion from Whiting gave the Warriors a dash of hope.
Just a couple minutes Hanco Germishuys silenced the crowd as he reeled in a Ben LeSage grubber, touching the ball down just before it reached the touchline. Carty’s conversion went over to it a 12-point lead. Mano would score with a minute to play but it was for consolation only. Backchat from Saunders at the final whistle earned a red in response from the referee.
Next Saturday will see the Warriors ending their 2022 season on the road against the Dallas Jackals. LA can clinch a direct spot in the Western Conference Final when they host the Seattle Seawolves on Sunday, though the job may already be done if Austin fail to capture any points against San Diego.
SCORING
UTAH 32
Tries – P. Lasike (12′), C. Gough (24′), J. van Vuuren (41′), O. Kilifi (67′), J. Mano (79′)
Cons – C. Whiting 2/4 (25′, 68′), M. Te’o 0/1
Pens – C. Whiting 1/1 (62′)
YC – J. Mano (39′), C. Burns (45′), N. Saunders (56′)
RC – N. Saunders (80’+1′)
LA 39
Tries – C. Abel (7′), C. Poidevin (39′), L. Stevens (46′), A. Tuala (58′), H. Germishuys (70′)
Cons – L. Carty 4/5 (8′, 40′, 47′, 71′)
Pens – L. Carty 2/2 (22′, 30′)
TEAMS
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Emerson Prior (17 Olive Kilifi 50′), 2 Chad Gough (16 Tuvere Vugakoto 68′), 3 Paul Mullen (18 Angus MacLellan 50′), 4 Saia Uhila (20 David Beach 68′), 5 Puna Vuli (19 Taris Schramm 73′), 6 Lance Williams, 7 Bailey Wilson (capt.), 8 Jurie van Vuuren, 9 Zion Going (21 Niall Saunders 50′), 10 Caleb Makene, 11 Mika Kruse, 12 Paul Lasike (22 Tyler Fisher 52′), 13 Calvin Whiting, 14 Joe Mano, 15 Connor Burns (23 Mike Te’o 59′)
LA GILTINIS
1 Les Leulua’iali’i-Makin (16 Andrew Tuala 33′), 2 Lindsey Stevens (18 Marco Fepulea’i 50′), 3 Charlie Abel (17 Djustice Sears-Duru 68′), 4 Dave Dennis (capt.), 5 Nathan Den Hoedt, 6 Hanco Germishuys, 7 Christian Poidevin (20 Zach Bonte 77′), 8 Langilangi Haupeakui (19 Cyrille Cama 68′), 9 Harrison Goddard, 10 Luke Carty (21 Tas Smith 72′), 11 Cristian Rodriguez (22 Ryan James 52′), 12 Billy Meakes (23 Luke Burton 68′), 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Will Chambers, 15 Tom Mitchell
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: Kahlil Harrison (USA) & Brett Johnson (USA)
TMO: Mike Lash (New Zealand)
