Lawndale Tribune
AND lAwNDAle News
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 80, No. 26 - July 1, 2021
The Warrior Pantry is Open for the Summer
Students enrolled in summer or fall semesters are eligible to receive services. Food and toiletries packages are available via drive-thru or walk-up Tuesdays and Thursdays in Lot B between 11 a.m.-2 p.m. For more info, visit www.elcamino.edu/warriorpantry. Photo courtesy
El Camino College.
Pro Rugby from front page
• 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 rightwing,
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 startup
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! •