(San Francisco) Tevita Okusi and Volney Rouse each scored a pair of tries as San Francisco Golden Gate strode past Old Puget Sound Beach 53-22 to reach its third consecutive Super League final.
The game was largely decided in the second quarter, when Golden Gate dominated possession and applied pressure at virtually every turn. Tries by Okusi at 24 and 33 minutes, supplemented by Dan LaPrevotte's 39th-minute score, transformed a 5-3 contest into a 22-3 halftime edge.
Meanwhile, Life University downed Boston 27-23 in a see-saw contest, setting up a rematch of the tense 2009 championship (and last year's semifinal). The collegiate final too constitutes a replay, as BYU fought off pesky Arkansas State 36-15, while Cal overwhelmed Utah 62-14 to create an astonishing sixth straight title showdown.
Like the Bears, Golden Gate will enter as mild favorites, both having the edge in recent playoff matchups. Cal has won 4 of 5, including 19-7 victory in the 2010 final; Golden Gate the last 2, mostly recently a 20-14 victory in last year's home semi.
At Sheeran Field, the hosts were convincing, particularly in driving forward play that created ample space for Rouse, the deft Milemoto Pulu, and Okusi.
Prop Saimone Lauaupaleu try's just after halftime stretched the count to 29-3, but Puget Sound responded with its most convincing play of the afternoon, led by backrowers Stan Moaali and Mathew Trouville as well as elusive running from the deep three. Still, Evan Haigh's 49th-minute try was the visitors' only return.
By the hour mark the home forwards resumed command. Samu Manoa's 60th-minute try from a lineout maul, a farewell score as the athletic number eight looks forward to the 2011-12 season at England's Northamption, underlined that three of SFGG's nine tries were claimed by up front.
Rouse and Pulu added fourth-quarter scores, countered by two dazzling open-field runs from OPSB's Filimoni Botitu, evidence of the 7s-minded visitors at their best.
In Atlanta, Life moved to a 17-0 lead behind tries from Mark Aylor and Clint Whitler, before Boston rattled off 20 unanswered points through a pair of tries by Kyle Marshall and another from Brendan Moore. The lead changed three more times in the final 15 minutes, according to Super League reporting, Steve Petzel's converted try with two to go finally earning Life a rare third win over the visitors this season.
In rainy Denver, fullback Blaine Scully and backrowers Danny Barrett and Tom Rooke propelled Cal to an assured eight-tries-to-two win. Utah trailed 8-7 after a sensational 15th-minute score but lacked offensive variation sufficient to stretch the Bears. James Bailes goaled a penalty and six conversions while calmly piloting the defending champs.
In the second College Premier Division semifinal, Arkansas State captured an 8-0 lead in the opening 10 minutes, held the high-scoring Cougars in check well into the second half, and pulled within 19-15 after 52 minutes. But simple mistakes negated the opportunity of two BYU yellow cards, and cagey outings from inside backs Shaun Davies and Jared Whippy carried BYU through to until its persuasive fourth-quarter finish.
Davenport captured the Division 1 title with a 38-19 win over UC Santa Barbara.
Nese Malifa returns to the Sevens World Series for the first time since the 2010 Adelaide tournament. The flyhalf's recovery from injury also important recovery for the 15s Eagles, less than four months away from the World Cup opener against Ireland.
No less than chief executive Nigel Melville labeled the 7s team to England and Scotland as 'the strongest selection' this season and also 'more youth than experience', although there is just one undergraduate, Cam Dolan, and several key players in their thirties. Matt Hawkins is captain.
San Francisco Golden Gate 53 Old Puget Sound Beach 22 (halftime: SFGG 22-3)
San Francisco Golden Gate
Tries: Tevita Okusi (2), Volney Rouse (2), Dan LaPrevotte, Saimone Lauaupaleu, Samu Manoa, Milemoto Pulu, Hector Quiles
Conversions: Volney Rouse (4)
Folau Moleloa; Jeff van Meter (Hector Quiles), Samisoni Pone (Damian Fatongia), Milemoto Pulu, Tevita Okusi; Volney Rouse, Mose Timoteo (Adam Zelazny); Paula Fukofuka, Mark Chris Biller, Saimone Lauaupaleu, John Thomas (Cameron Colier), Neil Kern, Dan LaPrevotte (Ryan Woolright), Bruce Thomas, Samu Manoa
Old Puget Sound Beach
Tries: Filmoni Botitu (2), Evan Haigh
Conversions: Evan Haigh, Alipate Tuilevuka
Penalty goal: Evan Haigh
Evan Haigh (Kieran Kennedy), Filmoni Botitu, William Rasileka, Alipate Tuilevuka, Rob Fitzpatrick (Mike Nelson), Russell Armstrong, James Hetland (Ryan Bishop), Oliver Kilifi, Dan Trierweiler, Josh Osborn, Adam Patchett, Albert Jenkins, Stan Moaali, Tim Jacobsen (Nolan Allen), Mathew Trouville (Thomas Eliot)
Referee: Paul Bretz (Pacific Coast)
Attendance: 250 (estimate) 450
United States 7s to England and Scotland
Justin Boyd (Frisco Griffins), Miles Craigwell (New York AC), Cameron Dolan (Life Univ.), Paul Emerick (Life Univ.), Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore), Matthew Hawkins (Belmont Shore), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club), Valanese Malifa (Glendale), Mike Palefau (Utah Warriors), Roland Suniula (Boston), Shalom Suniula (Brisbane), Zach Test (undeclared)