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Dallas set new franchise marks in tries and points scored as they punished Anthem in Charlotte on Sunday afternoon. Ten different Jackals players touched down contributing to a final score of 68-28 for the visitors, though Carolina did notably record their first ever four-try bonus point.
It was a miserable opening for Anthem as the Jackals poured on four tries before Carolina could catch their breath. Vaughen Isaacs broke from inside his own half to set up a try for Mitch Richardson that set the wheels in motion. Oscar Koller missed a penalty attempt, and then an inside pass from Jerónimo Gómez Vara sent Isaacs through a gap for a 40-meter run to the line.
Richardson sliced through a gap from his own end with Ben Fry in support, and the flanker handed Juan-Dee Oliver a clean runaway from 50 meters for the third try. Fry was then the villain for a no-arms tackle that earned a yellow card, but the Jackals paid no bother as Marcell Muller’s break set up Nic Benn for the bonus-point try with just 22 minutes on the clock.
Anthem finally got some sustained possession and after Tyren Al-Jiboori was held up on advantage, Jake Turnbull took it upon himself to crash over from a tap penalty. Dallas came straight back, however, with Dewald Kotze on the end of a lineout drive to make it 33-7 at halftime.
Just seconds into the second half Carolina showed some life when Te Rangatira Waitokia broke free, connecting with Siaosi Nai who in turn popped to Joe Basser for a try under the posts. Just as quickly there was a response from the Jackals as Isaacs again found space on a counter-attack that ended with Ronan Foley sprinting 30 meters to score.
Carolina’s best period of play followed as they conjured two tries in succession. Shane Barry’s quick throw-in to Waitokia caught Dallas off-guard and Josh Shetler was in support to score the first. The second came when Waitokia’s pass intended for Cael Hodgson was knocked down by Isaacs, with the TMO ruling it a deliberate knock-on. Seven points went up on the board, Anthem had their bonus point, and Isaacs was off to the bin.
With the score now 40-28 there was hope for Anthem but it ended when Barry saw yellow for taking out a Dallas player in the air. The Jackals hammered home four tries in nine minutes to complete the rout, with Gómez Vara followed in rapid succession by Marques Fuala’au, Martín Elías, and finally Tomás Bekerman to bring an end to proceedings.
Both teams face short turnarounds with Saturday games next weekend. Anthem head south to Miami to face the Sharks, and Dallas return home to host the NOLA Gold.
| SCORING |
CAROLINA 28
Tries (4) – J. Turnbull (26′), J. Basser (41′), J. Shetler (49′), Penalty try (63′)
Cons (2) – O. Koller 2/2 (27′, 50′), No kick 2 (41′, 63′)
Pens (0) – O. Koller 0/1
YC (1) – S. Barry (70′)
DALLAS 68
Tries (10) – M. Richardson (5′), V. Isaacs (9′), J. Oliver (14′), N. Benn (22′), D. Kotze (39′), R. Foley (43′), J. Gómez Vara (72′), M. Fuala’au (76′), M. Elias (79′), T. Bekerman (80’+1′)
Cons (9) – No kick 2 (5′, 79′), M. Elías 7/8 (10′, 23′, 40′, 44′, 72′, 77′, 80’+2′)
YC (2) – B. Fry (18′), V. Isaacs (15′)
| LINEUPS |
ANTHEM CAROLINA
1 Jake Turnbull (capt.) (17 Dan Hanson 73′), 2 Declan Moore, 3 Mika Felix (18 Stephan Bernal-Wendt 54′), 4 James Rivers (19 Braemar Murray 54′), 5 Reagan Leslie, 6 Joe Basser, 7 Albert O’Shannessey, 8 Dylan Fortune (20 Sione Latu 30′), 9 Siaosi Nai (21 Conor McManus 58′), 10 Oscar Koller, 11 Josh Shetler (23 Cael Hodgson 60′), 12 Mateo Gadsden (22 Rino Teoni 73′), 13 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 14 Tyren Al-Jiboori, 15 Shane Barry
Not used: 16 Connor Robinson
DALLAS JACKALS
1 Liam Murray (16 Joaquín Horcada HT), 2 Dewald Kotze (17 Tomás Bekerman 50′), 3 Juan Pablo Zeiss (18 Franco Palillo 50′), 4 Sam Golla (capt.), 5 Daemon Torres (20 Ronnie McElligott 69′), 6 Jerónimo Gómez Vara, 7 Ben Fry (22 Marques Fuala’au 60′), 8 Ronan Foley (19 Makeen Alikhan 50′), 9 Juan-Dee Oliver (21 Brock Gallagher 60′), 10 Martín Elías, 11 Joeli Tikoisuva, 12 Marcell Muller, 13 Mitch Richardson, 14 Nic Benn (23 Jason Tidwell 60′), 15 Vaughen Isaacs
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Sunday, March 17
Venue: American Legion Stadium, Charlotte
Kickoff: 15:00 local
Weather: sunny, 66°F (19°C), wind W 5-8mph (8-13km/h)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Moe Chaudhry (Canada)
Assistants: Amelia Luciano (USA) & Alex Hedquist (USA)
TMO: Greg Gilliam (USA)
