
Pre-season Game Preview: Utah Warriors vs. Rugby ATL
Herriman, Utah — After nearly a year without Major League Rugby (MLR) play and two years since their last home game, the Utah Warriors will face off against Rugby ATL in a preseason match tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. MDT in Zions Bank Stadium. Rugby ATL is one of the top Eastern Conference teams, making this game an early-season chance for players to see what lies ahead for the 2021 season.
“Rugby ATL is probably one of the most prepared teams currently, which means this is going to be a massive test for us to see where we sit,” said Shaun Davies, Utah Warriors assistant coach.
The Warriors have several new signings making an appearance on this roster, including college draftee Elijah Hayes, Joe Mano, Logan Tago, Mike Geiselman, and James Mocke. All five are recent call-ups from the Warriors Selects developmental team. They will be suiting up on Saturday and will have a chance to be measured against a strong ATL club in this match.
Davies particularly expressed excitement for Warriors 2021 college draftee and flyhalf Danny Giannascoli who will step into the number 10 jersey.
“Danny is a huge talent, and coming up against a team like ATL who puts a ton of focus on defensive pressure is going to be exciting to see how he reacts as a young and upcoming American flyhalf,” Davies said.
This week’s roster will also feature some familiar names that the Warriors community knows very well. Warriors’ veterans Franco van den Berg, Josh Whippy, Matt Jensen and Angus MacLellan will bring experience and skill to Saturday’s match. Both Lance Williams and Alex Tucci are also on the roster, making their official MLR comeback after suffering knee injuries during the 2020 season.
“We as a staff have put together a strong team with a good amount of X-Factor, with the likes of Joe Mano, Mikey Te’o and Josh Whippy in the backfield to hopefully create some good running rugby for our fans to enjoy,” said Utah Warriors Head Coach Shawn Pittman. “That’s been one of the driving factors of how we want to play this year and how we’ve prepared the team in the pre-season.”
Pittman, who was named interim head coach back in January, is looking forward to coaching on his team’s home turf. Pittman joined the Warriors organization in 2019 as an assistant coach for the 2020 MLR season. Due to COVID-19 bringing the season to a halt the week of the Warriors’ scheduled home opener, Pittman will finally get to lead this team in a home match.
“Finally getting to coach in the stadium is going to be an exciting moment for us as on-field staff,” Pittman said. “I know that the players are looking forward to stepping on the pitch after being absent from hosting a home game since the 2019 season.”
Saturday’s game will be the fans’ last chance to catch a match before the regular-season starts with limited tickets available, as future regular-season games are sold out presently. Tickets for this pre-season match are STILL AVAILABLE! Get yours now, here.
To be added to the “Can’t Wait List” for future 2021 regular-season games once capacity limitations change, please click here.
Can’t get to the match in person? We’ve got you covered. You can stream the match live on KSLSports online or via the KSL TV App.
UTAH WARRIORS VS. RUGBY ATL (MLR Pre-Season Match)
Date: March 6, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. MDT
Where: Zions Bank Stadium (Herriman, UT)
Tickets & Information: www.WarriorsRugby.com
Utah Warriors Gameday Roster:
- Franco Van Den Berg
- Tuvere Vugakoto
- Paul Mullen
- Aston Fortuin
- Matt Jensen
- Thomas Tu’avao
- Bailey Wilson
- Lance Williams
- Michael Baska
- Danny Giannascoli
- Joe Mano
- Calvin Whiting
- Tyler Fisher
- Josh Whippy
- Mikey Te’o
- Elijah Hayes
- Alex Tucci
- Angus MacClellan
- James Mocke
- Mike Geiselman
- Fraser Hurst
- Hagen Schulte
- Logan Tago
*Roster is subject to change without notice up to the start of the match
Recent Posts
Warriors down Dallas behind Danny Christensen’s hat trick
DALLAS — No backup for Danny Christensen traveled to take on the
Chad Gough hangs up the boots after a successful rugby career
HERRIMAN — Chad Gough is hanging up his rugby cleats, in what
Warriors fall to LA in final 2022 home match
HERRIMAN — Costly mental errors cost the Utah Warriors big during Saturday’s
How the Warriors’ Defense helped take down MLR’s Top Team
HERRIMAN — In searching how exactly to reboot an otherwise frustrating 2022
Warriors put together complete game, take down Austin
HERRIMAN — Teasing great and consistent play became a thing of the
News Tags
Archives
- June 2022 (2)
- May 2022 (10)
- April 2022 (13)
- March 2022 (16)
- February 2022 (13)
- January 2022 (11)
- December 2021 (2)
- November 2021 (5)
- October 2021 (4)
- September 2021 (3)
- August 2021 (9)
- July 2021 (18)
- June 2021 (30)
- May 2021 (23)
- April 2021 (15)
- March 2021 (13)
- February 2021 (3)
- January 2021 (2)
- December 2020 (3)
- November 2020 (12)
- October 2020 (13)
- September 2020 (5)
- August 2020 (8)
- July 2020 (1)
- June 2020 (4)
- April 2020 (3)
- March 2020 (7)
- February 2020 (13)
- January 2020 (3)
- December 2019 (3)
- November 2019 (7)
- October 2019 (8)
- September 2019 (1)
- August 2019 (1)
- July 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (3)
- May 2019 (10)
- April 2019 (12)
- March 2019 (5)
- February 2019 (6)
- January 2019 (4)
- December 2018 (3)
- September 2018 (1)
- August 2018 (1)
- June 2018 (3)
- May 2018 (8)
- April 2018 (5)
- March 2018 (6)
- February 2018 (6)
- January 2018 (3)
- December 2017 (8)
- November 2017 (5)
- October 2017 (2)
- August 2017 (2)
- July 2017 (1)