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Ex-Super Rugby flyer helps eliminate Ma’a Nonu & Matt Giteau’s Legion

(Photo by Stuart Walmsley/Getty Images)

Former Wallaby Matt Giteau and All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu have fallen short in their bid to bring the Major League Rugby shield back to San Diego after losing to Seattle Seawolves 30-28 in the Western Conference semi-finals.

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66-game Super Rugby veteran Toni Pulu, who played for the Chiefs, ACT Brumbies and the Western Force, helped set up a match-sealing try with six minutes left to help send Seattle to the Western Conference Final.

Giteau and Nonu have played plenty of rugby against one another in the Test arena over the years, and the two joined forces at a star-studded Toulon side some years ago. But the decision for ‘Gits’ to join Nonu at the San Diego Legion had the rugby world talking.

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Two-time Rugby World Cup winner Nonu has played for the Legion since 2020, while Giteau signed for San Diego last December before debuting in the red and black strip in a 30-24 win over Dallas Jackals in May.

But San Diego would have their work cut out for them in the MLR playoffs after finishing third in the Western Conference behind Houston and rivals Seattle. Up first, the Legion would take on the Seawolves away from home.

With this matchup pitting two traditional rivals up against one another – with either the Legion or Seawolves playing in four of MLR’s five championship games to date – this was always going to be a titanic tussle where big-name players would need to step up.

San Diego went ahead early after two penalty goals inside the first 11 minutes, but the hosts quickly swung the game’s momentum back in their favour with a stunning try scored by fullback Duncan Matthews.

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Matthews showed some impressive athleticism to run onto a perfectly placed grubber kick before stretching out to reel in the ball, and then place it within the in-goal by what appeared to be a matter of inches.

That try-scoring play all started with a turnover at the breakdown with Seattle stealing the ball after San Diego failed to protect it. Two phases later, the outside back reaped the rewards with the go-ahead try about 10 metres in from the sideline.

Seattle added to their advantage soon after. Captain JP Smith sent a perfect pass from halfback to towering lock Rhyno Herbst who crashed over. Some fans even gave their rugby heroes a standing ovation as they raced out to a big lead after 28 minutes.

Matt Giteau would score the only other points between then and the one-hour mark with a penalty goal just after the half-time break. It brought the deficit down to nine points but the Seawolves were still in control.

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The Legion cut the Seawolves’ lead down even further, though, with replacement hooker Cyrille Cama scoring from a rolling maul. There seemed to be an extra spring in San Diego’s step from there, but that only lasted for a few minutes.

Seattle had a penalty try awarded in their favour in the 65th minute and replacement backrower Pago Haini scored about 10 minutes after that. Haini ran onto a perfectly weighted offload from former Chiefs, Brumbies and Force winger Toni Pulu.

While San Diego did have the last say with two quick scores to right winger Tomas Aoake and then a penalty try in the 81st minute, time wasn’t on their side. It got a bit headed towards the end as the Legion came to terms with another playoff loss to Seattle.

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kumar supriya 2 hours ago
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kumar supriya 2 hours ago
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MY NAME IS SUPRIYA KUMAR FROM INDIA PLEASE FIND TIME TO READ THIS CAREFULLY.              AS WE ALL KNOW INDIA IS NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD IN TERMS OF MAGIC SO DO NOT IGNORE THIS. BE CAREFUL HERE, NOBODY CAN HELP YOU FROM AFRICA OR EVEN SUGGEST HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR EX OR LOVE BACK, ANY TESTIMONIES OF MOST SPELL CASTER FROM AFRICA HERE MUST BE IGNORED, BECAUSE MOST OF THEM ARE SCAM I MEAN REAL SCAM AND FROM AFRICA WHICH I WAS A VICTIM AND I GOT RIPPED OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS BECAUSE I WAS SO ANXIOUS TO GET MY HUSBAND JOHN BACK AFTER HE LEFT ME FOR OVER 2YEARS WITH MY 3YEARS OLD SON JERRY,I HAVE APPLIED TO 7 DIFFERENT SPELL CASTER HERE I MET ON THIS BLOG AND ALL TO NO AVAIL THEY ALL ASK FOR SAME THING SEND YOUR NAME YOUR EX NAME ADDRESS AND PICTURE PHONE NUMBER ETC WHICH I DID OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND MOST OF THEM WERE FROM AFRICA, I WAS SO CONFUSED AND I WAS ALWAYS SICK BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND I WAS SO DESPERATE TO HAVE JOHN BACK TO ME I LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND COULD DIE FOR HIM. UNTIL A FRIEND TOLD ME ABOUT THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS THE GREATEST SPELL TEMPLE, (templeofdreams1@gmail.com) TEMPLE OF BLACK AND WHITE (GOOD AND EVIL) IN INDIA, AND I DECIDED TO SEND A MAIL TO THE TEMPLE. THE SECRETARY TOLD ME THAT ALL MY PROBLEM ARE OVER SINCE I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT INDIA FOR HELP, HE TOLD ME TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN ME AND MY EX HUSBAND JOHN AND I DID, I TOLD HIM ALL THAT HAPPENED FROM THE BEGINNING. AND HE SAID TO ME MY CHILD WHAT YOU JUST EXPLAINED TO ME NOW IS A LITTLE PROBLEM TO HANDLE COMPARE TO SERIOUS PROBLEMS THE TEMPLE HAS HANDLED, I WAS SO SHOCKED AND I SAID TO MY SELF WHAT PROBLEM COULD BE MORE SERIOUS THAN THIS. HE TOLD ME WHAT I NEEDED TO DO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BUT WHAT HE SAID LOOK SIMILAR TO WHAT I HAVE HEARD IN THE PAST(THAT I WAS TO PAY FOR THE ITEMS NEEDED), I WAS HAVING DOUBT ABOUT IT BECAUSE OF PAST EXPERIENCE, BUT I DECIDED TO TRY SINCE THE TEMPLE IS LOCATED IN INDIA (ASIA) AND NOT AFRICA (NIGERIA AND SOUTH AFRICA) THEY COULD BE REAL AND DIFFERENT. SO I GAVE THEM 50% OF MY TRUST. THIS WAS LIKE A MAGIC AND DREAM COME TRUE TO ME, AFTER TWO DAYS WHEN THE SPELL HAS BEEN CASTEED, JOHN BEEPED MY PHONE AT ABOUT 9:PM I COULD NOT SLEEP THAT NIGHT BECAUSE I REALLY LOVE JOHN AND WANT HIM BACK. BY 7:AM THE NEXT MORNING HE GAVE ME ANOTHER  MISSED CALL I DECIDED NOT TO CALL BACK AS I WAS STILL ON SHOCK,   AT ABOUT 10:AM THAT MORNING HE CALLED AND I PICKED HE SAID CAN WE SEE AFTER WORK TODAY I SAID YES SO HE ENDED THE CALL IMMEDIATELY I GOT OFF WORK HE CALLED ME AND TOLD ME WERE TO MEET HIM, I WAS STILL ON SHOCK, BEHOLD WHEN I GOT THERE I SAW JOHN CRYING WITH TEARS ALL OVER HIS EYES, AND HE SAID TO ME MY WIFE, I AM SO SORRY IMMEDIATELY I HUGGED HIM AND KISSED HIM WHICH I HAVE MISSED ALL THIS YEARS. ALL THANK TO TEMPLE OF DREAMS. IF YOU ARE A MAN OR A WOMAN READING THIS AND YOU ARE PASSING THROUGH SIMILAR PROBLEMS LIKE MINE, DO NOT FAIL TO CONTACT THIS GREAT TEMPLE. HE IS REALLY INDEED A REAL SPELL CASTER.           THE WORST OF ALL IS THAT I DON’T KNOW THE PARTICULAR DOCTOR THAT HELPED ME AS I WAS TOLD THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 300 SPELL CASTERS WORKING IN THE TEMPLE, UNLIKE THE SINGLE SCAM DOCTORS IN AFRICA. I AM NO LONGER AFRAID OF THE SPELL CASTERS IN AFRICA BECAUSE THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS ASSURED AND GAVE ME HUNDRED PERCENT PROTECTION AND ALSO HELPED ME RECOVER 50% OF MY MONEY THAT I PAYED TO SCAMS FROM AFRICA SOME SERVICES RENDERED IN THE TEMPLE OF DREAMS (1) If you want your ex back. (2) To cure HIV/AID or related illness (3) You want to be promoted in your office. (4) You want women/men to run after you. (5) If you want a child. (6) Are you a contractor and you want to win contract (7) You want to tie your husband/wife to be yours forever. (8) If you need help spiritually. (9) How you been scammed and you want to recover you lost money.     (10)Stop Divorce (11)Invoking of Money Ritual (12)To verify if your online lover is real (13)To verify if your online loan is real (14)To be very brilliant (15)If you are looking for a good job (16)If you are old and want to look young (17) If you want to be free from threats of spell caster in AFRICA And many more.. Email... templeofdreams1@gmail.com  

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