L.A. Giltinis advance to Major League Rugby’s championship game

Pictures hung, taped in plain view, in every player’s wooden cubby in the Los Angeles Giltinis’ locker room.

Utility back Adam Ashley-Cooper, on glossy print, smiles with his wife and son. Outside back DTH van der Merwe’s daughter can be seen holding a sign that reads “Good Luck Daddy.” Captain Dave Dennis has a photo of himself laying in bed with his kids.

The Giltinis are in their first year as a franchise, in the four-year-old Major League Rugby. Most players hail from Australia and South Africa. In the first few months of their season, they traveled to Los Angeles ahead of their families. Head coach Darren Coleman hasn’t seen his wife and kids for seven months.

In the meantime, they had to build a second family of sorts with the only people that were around — each other.

“Everyone’s had a unique position where they’ve had a wife and family, and they’ve made the sacrifice to be here,” Dennis said. “It makes everyone realize that if you’re going to make a sacrifice … do it the right way and put 100% effort into what you’re doing.”

They put that effort in Sunday at the Coliseum, winning a tense Western Conference finals match 17-13 over the Utah Warriors.

In the locker room before the game, Coleman stressed the importance of two-man tackling while imploring his players to never quit or play soft. His message appeared to ring home as the Giltinis’ backs mounted a furious defensive effort that turned away Warriors’ attacks time and time again.

Yet after a first-half try by Ashley-Cooper — who, after an illustrious career in Australian rugby, was considering retirement — got the Giltinis on the board, their offensive pushes ran dry. After they took a 7-3 lead into the break, Los Angeles was down 13-7 deep in the second half.

Around the 67 mark, the Giltinis were denied several times to cross the try line. But an eventual pass to replacement wing Ryan James of San Diego trimmed Utah’s lead to 13-12. A few minutes later, James juked a Utah defender for his second try and the eventual game-winner.

As the clock hit 80 minutes, Giltinis players hugged and celebrated. Now, they’re just an Aug. 1 win over Eastern Conference champion Rugby ATL from a championship in their first season as a franchise.

Leaving family behind for months was tough, Ashley-Cooper said. So the Giltinis have had a responsibility to create the right culture to see this season through.

“I can guarantee, next week, if you go on and win it,” he said, “all that’s forgotten.”