First half blitz gives NOLA victory over Dallas

NOLA scored five tries in the first half to defeat Dallas 35-22 in Arlington on Saturday night. The Gold scored four of those tries with only 14 men on the pitch following an early red card, with their halftime lead proving insurmountable for the disappointed Jackals.

Two forays by the home side into Gold territory were turned away in the opening minutes. After a sustained period of possession Martín Elías ensured the Jackals took some points with a long-range drop goal to open the scoring.

The Gold then lost both starting props at the 14-minute mark. Isaac Salmon was helped off after his ankle was caught under a tackle. At the same time a TMO review singled out Jarred Adams for what was deemed a dangerous clearout on Ben Fry, with the referee pulling a red card from his pocket.

Without missing a beat, the visitors went straight on the attack. Ed Fidow crashed over the gainline from a lineout move to put the Jackals back on their heels. The ball was recycled quickly and Rodney Iona missed out three players to send Taniela Filimone into the right corner for a try.

Both teams were down to 14 men when Fry saw yellow for taking out Augusto Böhme off the ball. Iona took three points from the spot of the penalty, and then immediately following the restart Luke Campbell broke free from a ruck. In an instant the ball was flung wide left where Fidow was waiting to touch down in the left corner.

A knock-on from Juan-Dee Oliver on his own put-in cost the Jackals dearly. Instead of being on the attack, Dallas watched helplessly as Fidow beat Joeli Tikoisuva to the outside and returned the ball to a flying Iona for an easy run-in. Iona converted from wide out and the score now read 22-3 to the Gold.

It wasn’t long and the visitors were in again. With Fry back on the field and the red card still in effect, Jonah Mau’u stepped through a gap on the post and offloaded to Böhme in space. The hooker fixed the last man and Campbell was there to trot home for the bonus point try.

Dallas caught a break from the restart. Iona’s clearance attempt was charged down by Sam Golla, and the skipper regathered and fell over the line for the score. The relief was short-lived, however, as Böhme foiled a poorly-executed throw-in to win possession and Jordan Jackson-Hope sliced through the midfield to send Filimone away for his double.

With the clocking ticking towards the red, the Jackals won an attacking lineout. After the advancing maul was collapsed, the referee called out Malcolm May’s number and brandished a yellow card. The sir then jogged under the posts to award the penalty try and call an end to the first half with the visitors well in control by a 32-15 score.

Ten minutes into the second half the Jackals suffered a blow as vice-captain Jerónimo Gómez Vara went down with an elbow injury. At the same time Jackson-Hope left the field early, with Makeen Alikhan and Ross Depperschmidt entering as their respective replacements.

Mau’u and Gold teammate Fintan Coleman were both forced off after a head-to-head collision in a tackle with 10 minutes to play. Daemon Torres thundered over for a try soon after to close the gap, but the Jackals couldn’t salvage a bonus point of their own as Iona added an insurance penalty goal a minute before full-time.

It’s a short turnaround for Dallas next weekend as they host the unbeaten Houston SaberCats on Friday night. NOLA will enjoy a week off before returning to action on Saturday, April 6, for a home match against the Chicago Hounds.

 

SCORING

DALLAS 22
Tries (3) – S. Golla (33′), Penalty try (40’+2′), D. Torres (72′)
Cons (2) – M. Elías 1/2 (73′), No kick (40’+2′)
DG (1) – M. Elías 1/1 (12′)
YC (1) – B. Fry (19′)

NOLA 35
Tries (5) – T. Filimone 2 (16′, 38′), E. Fidow (21′), R. Iona (26′), L. Campbell (31′)
Cons (2) – R. Iona 2/5 (22′, 27′)
Pens (2) – R. Iona 2/2 (20′, 79′)
RC (1) – J. Adams (14′)

LINEUPS

DALLAS JACKALS
1 Liam Murray (16 Joaquín Horcada 49′), 2 Dewald Kotze (17 Tomás Bekerman 61′), 3 Juan Pablo Zeiss (18 Kyle Steeves 61′), 4 Sam Golla (capt.), 5 Lucas Bur (19 Daemon Torres 61′), 6 Jerónimo Gómez Vara (20 Makeen Alikhan 50′), 7 Ben Fry (22 Marques Fuala’au 61′), 8 Ronan Foley, 9 Juan-Dee Oliver (21 Brock Gallagher 61′), 10 Martín Elías, 11 Joeli Tikoisuva (23 Jason Tidwell 49′), 12 Marcell Muller, 13 Mitch Richardson, 14 Nic Benn, 15 Vaughen Isaacs

NOLA GOLD
1 Jarred Adams (17 Matt Harmon 34′), 2 Augusto Böhme (16 Ale Lopeti 69′), 3 Isaac Salmon (18 James Irey 14′), 4 Callum Botchar (19 Fintan Coleman 49′ {21 Osaiasi Tonga’uiha 70′}), 5 William Waguespack, 6 Malcolm May (17 Matt Harmon 24′-34′), 7 Moni Tonga’uiha (capt.), 8 Jonah Mau’u (20 Maciu Koroi 70′), 9 Luke Campbell, 10 Rodney Iona, 11 Ed Fidow, 12 Jordan Jackson-Hope (22 Ross Depperschmidt 50′), 13 JP du Plessis, 14 Taniela Filimone (23 Julian Roberts 63′), 15 Reece Botha

MATCH INFO

Date: Saturday, March 23
Venue: Choctaw Stadium, Arlington
Kickoff: 19:30 local
Weather: partly cloudy, 65°F (18°C), wind SE 5-10mph (8-16km/h)

OFFICIALS

Referee: Marquise Goodwin (USA)
Assistants: Aaron Davis (USA) & Jono Cooper (USA)
TMO: Scott Green (USA)