San Francisco Golden Gate 19 Denver Barbarians 16 (halftime: SFGG 12-3)

(San Francisco) Prop Jason Bowden's winning try on the last play of Saturday's Super League semifinal hardly encapsulates San Francisco Golden Gate's season, but dramatically extends it.

All but throttled by a Denver Barbarians defense which limited SFGG's 46-points-per-game attack to just 12 after 80 minutes, the western conference champs muscled over the line with no time on the clock for a 19-16 comeback win.

Milemoto Pulu's best run of the afternoon, an inside break capitalizing on a Denver midfield injury and most inopportune lapse, set the stage for Bowden's heroics. Though a second-phase knock-on ended the immediate threat, the Barbos' clearing kick gained little ground, and the home forwards set to work in a patient maul-and-ruck sequence interrupted solely for a Denver penalty, the game's penultimate whistle in 49 minutes of second-half running time.

'You keep the ball that long at the end, you deserve to win it,' disappointed Denver lock Mike Mangan said afterward.

The do-or-die score foiled Denver's 13-0 second-half run, good enough to move from 9 points down to 4 ahead, but not quite enough for a second consecutive playoff upset. Golden Gate moves onto to face Life, surprisingly comfortable 25-3 winners over Belmont Shore Sunday in Atlanta, for the championship this Saturday in Denver.

In a notably hard-hitting match, Chris Moreno had lifted the Barbos to a 13-12 lead through a 58th-minute 5-pointer that foreshadowed the clincher. With Golden Gate fullback Jone Naqica sidelined for tripping and set to return at the next whistle, the visitors stubbornly recycled possession time and again before the prop drove over near the posts.

Flyhalf Max de Acheval, the 2008 Colorado All-American who did not play in SFGG's 45-10 season-opening win over Denver, then stroked a 33-yard penalty goal at 65 minutes, taking the lead out to a 16-12 count which forced Golden Gate to touch down. But de Acheval left the door open, mishitting a close-range drop goal and falling short with an ambitious penalty shot from halfway.

In the opening half hour, Golden Gate's Faimalo Tapui and Samuela Manoa scored a pair of tries on the right sideline, the first set up by a Kevin Erskine run and the second launched from a weakside scrum move. De Acheval interceded with an 8th-minute penalty goal.

Though falling behind 12-3, the Barbos contained line breaks and counterattack chances, limiting opportunity for those thrusting support runs characteristic of SFGG's 2009 edition, and slowed recycled ball, enabling the defense line to reset. Indeed, the afternoon's back five battle was perhaps the best Rocca Field has seen this season, diminished only by blustery lineouts and game-ending injuries to Barbo eighthman Pat Quinn and SFGG flank Dan LaPrevotte.

De Acheval's second penalty goal, at 46 minutes, immediately followed Naqica's ten-minute binning. Though obviously derailing a Denver kick-and-chase triggered when the 7s Eagle misplayed a lineout to himself, cover defense easily could have stopped the scoring opportunity -- clearly ruling out a penalty try and, more important, a crippling red card.

Still more peril lay in SFGG's second-half slew of mindless penalties and even sniping at the ref, signs of diminished focus and being forced to play outside the comfort zone. For the hosts, the shift to a vertical game came just in time.

'I said to the forwards, "This is our season right here,"' halfback Mose Timoteo said of the winning drive.

San Francisco Golden Gate 19 Denver Barbarians 16 (halftime: SFGG 12-3)

San Francisco Golden Gate
Tries: Faimalo Tapui, Samuela Manoa, Jason Bowden
Conversions: Volney Rouse (2)

Jone Naqica; Faimalo Tapui (Toshi Palamo), Tevita Okusi, Milemoto Pulu, Seta Palamo; Volney Rouse, Mose Timoteo (captain); Jason Bowden, Saimone Lauaupaleau (Dillon Horne), Conor Coyne (Josh Vavao), Kevin Erskine, Samuela Manoa, Darryl Lamborn, Dan LaPrevotte (replacement unavailable), Josh Merliner

Denver Barbarians
Try: Chris Moreno
Conversion: Max de Acheval
Penalties: Max de Acheval (3)

David Yavala; Ben Haapapuro, Jake Humphrey (Pete Barclay), David Laidlaw, Jody Kramer; Max de Acheval, Sam Gillam; David Maddock, Tim Russo (captain), Chris Moreno, John Van der Giessen, Mike Mangan, Nic Johnson, Justin Stencel, Pat Quinn (Andy Post)

Lineups unconfirmed

Referee: David Ardrey (West)
Attendance: 250 (estimated)

Comments

[Super?]

super crowd.

[Dan Ransom]

A few game photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tAB5qPp_CPw3rE123tqjcQ?feat=directlink

I didn't get a great set of photos this time around, in part because I was pretty distracted by the rugby itself - it was the most nerve-wracking club game I've ever been to.

Denver should hold their heads up high: after a tough first half they really dominated the second, until the final few minutes, when the SFGG forwards had to will themselves over after countless phases. The game had several big momentum shifts.

One of the positive stories emerging from this game is that both clubs featured American collegiate-trained flyhalves, Volney Rouse and Maximo de Achaval. Given most club teams, RSL and otherwise, rely on foreign pivots, it's an interesting story.

In fact, I believe Rouse and de Achaval were teammates on the All-American squad, weren't they?

[Life]

Life is the superior team and will easily defeat SFGG.

250 in attendance? WOW! Assuming that each player in the named side of 22 had 2 supporters, and that 20 or so SFGG players not named in the 22 were there, that is 66 people. Throw in 50 SFGG old boys and you have a actual draw of about 125 people. That is a shockingly bad sign for Super League rugby, and rugby in general in the USA.

[Dan Ransom]

I added the wrong link -- that was to an individual picture. Here's the album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dsronline/SFGGVsDenverBarbariansRSLSemifinalMay2009?feat=directlink

[Dan Ransom]

Given Life's dismissal of Belmont Shore, SFGG definitely comes into this game as big underdogs. But "Life" (whom I'm guessing isn't at all affiliated with Life University) -- let's just see what happens first.

[Pete Murray]

Does anyone know if this game will be broadcast on ESPN Classic like last year's final? I just happened to stumble across it last year but would like a bit of a heads up this go round.

thanks

[Tool Academy]

Shame this game could not be seen.
Thanks to the Board O' tools.

[Va]

Odds that comments 1 and 3 come from the same janky laptop in Marietta?
Let's see Life draw 3000+ fans for regular season games(Cal, BYU, Navy) before they start badmouthing attendence figures of other regions.
Btw what's the breakdown(USA eligible) for SFGG and Life? I'd rather see Maximo or Volney taking points in a final than some washed up Kiwi.

[bruce mclane]

The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic at 9pm Eastern on Saturday night

[Pete Murray]

Thanks Bruce

[SD Hitman]

Bruce

Thanks for the heads up. Its a shame I only heard about the broadcast from reading a niche rugby blog site 10 posts down in the comments section. Brilliant marketing on Boulder's part. I work from home and have all forms of ESPN (2,U,C,News) on all the time and haven't seen a blip about this game. Lotsa poker, lacrosse, and x-game re-runs however....