EL SEGUNDO HERALD July 1, 2021 Page 13
Pro Rugby from front page
to college and played rugby at No Cal rich-guy
and girl universities, but I never paid much
attention to their exploits as they did not mine.
As a rugby novice, I think that the only
time I participated in an activity akin to rugby
was back in the seventh grade while attending
American Martyrs School in neighboring
Manhattan Beach. After eating lunch, we
would head out to the field and play a game
we dubbed “Kill the Man with the Ball.” OK,
we did not set out to kill each other, but the
chap who ended up with the ball, usually a
football, was pummeled from all directions as
the combatants tried to separate the ball carrier
from the ball. Being a smart guy, it did not take
me that long to discern that it was better to
be one of the pummelers than the pummeled.
Enough digression. When I attended a Giltinis
practice recently that took place on the
artificial turf at Campus El Segundo, I was
curious to discern what I would see? And
what I saw was a whirlwind of activity from
top-flight athletes, running to-and-fro from
different practice stations, plying their trade
as they prepared for their upcoming match at
the Los Angeles Coliseum. That match against
the hapless Houston SaberCats would end up
in basically a walkover win, 52-5.
The following Sunday, the Giltinis took their
show on the road to San Diego and prevailed
in a much tighter contest against the home
team, winning 19-13.
Here are some of the rugby rules that I have
discerned: Players can run and kick the ball
but can only pass it backward. There are three
ways to score:
• A team gets five points for scoring a “try,”
where the ball is grounded over the opponent’s
in-goal area, like the goal-line in the NFL.
• Two points are awarded to a team for a
successful conversion. This is where a team
can add further points after scoring a “try” by
kicking the ball through the goalposts.
• A team can score three points if a penalty
is awarded, and they successfully kick the ball
through the goalposts.
• Three points are also given if a team does
what is known as a dropkick, where a player
drops the ball on the ground and kicks it
through the goal post.
Rugby matches are played with 15 players
on the field, with two halves of forty minutes
and a 10-minute or so intermission. So, timechallenged
(impatient) fans who do not cotton
to spending four hours or so watching a Major
League Baseball game, or waste 30 minutes
viewing the final two minutes of an NBA playoff
game, may appreciate the brevity of an MLR
match, a contest highlighted by constant action.
As noted, there are 15 players on the pitch
for each side. Some of the positions manned
include a loose-head prop, tight head prop, a
couple of flankers, #8, a scrum-half, a fly-half,
an inside center, an outside center, a right-wing,
a fullback, and the all-important hooker.
It is way past my nascent understanding of
the sport to explain what each player’s duties
are, but suffice to say, each player’s expertise
is an integral component that meshes to build
a successful team.
Time to meet your 2021 Los Angeles Giltinis…
Well, two of them.
DTH van der Merwe is a Giltinis outside
back/winger, a position he equates to the wide
receiver position in the NFL. He goes by DTH,
which are his father’s initials. And he happened
to be born on the same calendar day as his
dad. Born and initially raised in South Africa,
he moved to Canada when he was 17, where
his rugby career accelerated. He played with
the Canadian National team, as well as in a
rugby World Cup in Dubai.
His sterling play on the pitch was spotted
by a Scotland talent scout, which led to him
begin a new sporting adventure, playing for 11
years in Scotland, Wales, and England.
When COVID-19 hit, DTH said that he was
contacted by a former Canadian player who
was associated with soon-to-be Giltinis head
coach Darren Coleman.
DTH was pitched about setting up camp in
Southern California and playing for the start-
up Giltinis. It must have been a potent sales
pitch. He and his family, who live in Hermosa
Beach, have not regretted their relocation. “We
have fallen in love with the South Bay,” DTH
said. “We have lots of wheels spinning,” he
said, “in how we could stay here forever.”
As a somewhat older player (35), DTH said
he and his family are looking to a future in
Southern California, post-rugby. He said that
he is a “qualified firefighter” and will probably
be looking to pursue opportunities in
that occupation.
When asked how a rugby neophyte fan should
learn about and embrace the sport, DTH noted
that his father, back in the day, had acquired
the book “Rugby for Dummies,” a book that I
should purchase. But DTH also touted attending
a game at the Coliseum, as well as checking
out the online feeds of MLR games that are
available for free or dropping in to view a
match on the Bally’s Sports Network, which
broadcasts contests each weekend.
Like all associated with the Giltinis, DTH
embraces being an ambassador for promoting
rugby to gain a foothold in America. “Spread
the word,” he said. “Why not give it a shot,
and support the Giltinis?”
Which is a sentiment shared by his teammate,
Dave Dennis. Dennis plays the “lock”
position on the pitch, which he equates to the
tight-end slot on an NFL offense. The Australian
native said he “never thought he would end
up in the South Bay.” When his contract ran
out while he was playing in England last year,
Dennis, also 35, said he received a call from
a Giltinis assistant coach, a former teammate,
trying to coerce Dennis and family to relocate
to Southern California.
Again, the sales pitch worked. “Why not?”
Dennis, who lives in Redondo Beach, said. “It
was a good opportunity to enjoy everything that
California has to offer and play some rugby.”
Typically, professional expansion teams
struggle during their first year, but not the
Giltinis. And a lot of their success apparently
stems from management selecting an internationally
experienced head coach, Darren Coleman.
Dennis noted that Coleman has a stellar
coaching resume, guiding teams that may have
underperformed before his arrival at the top
of the standings table. He said that Coleman’s
coaching style gets his team well-prepared for
the next match, “but we also have a lot of fun.”
When he is not rousting about with his family
or speeding up-and-down the rugby pitch,
Dennis says he enjoys cooking, as well as
sharpening his skills on the local golf courses.
He noted he forayed south two weeks ago to
watch the opening round of the United States
Open golf tournament. How good is Dennis on
the course? He said he plays to a handicap of
8, “good enough to earn a little money from
the boys” should friendly wagers be placed.
When asked to sum up a rugby match, Dennis
said it is “15 guys running at each other,
trying to score more points at the other end of
the field. You bash the hell out of each other,
and then go have a cold beer.”
OK, so I am assuming that you still do not
have a clue as to what a Giltini is? Well, it is
an adult beverage named partially after/by club
backer Australian entrepreneur Adam Gilchrist,
who, I have been informed, made his fortune
as a gym owner. The team’s name, Giltinis,
melds Gil with martini. Get it? And according
to DTH, the beverage should be available this
summer in local South Bay imbibing establishments.
Gilchrist also happens to own another
MLR team named after an adult beverage,
the Austin Gilgronis, that plays off of the
first three letters of his last name, as well as
another adult beverage.
The MLR regular season concludes on the
weekend of July 17/18. And if all goes according
to plan, the Giltinis will continue their
winning ways and glide into the playoffs. So,
with the El Segundo-based LA Lakers and
Kings long-ago dispatched from championship
competition, you might consider taking
the time to support a professional team who
may bring another title to our jewel of a town.
Bottoms-up! •
DTH in Action versus San Diego Legion. Photo by Brian Jackson.
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