Utah Warriors Announce Full Roster for 2019 MLR Season

Salt Lake City, Utah – The Utah Warriors of Major League Rugby have announced their full roster for the 2019 season, which will begin on Friday, February 1st at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas versus the Austin Elite. The first home match for the Warriors will be held on Saturday, February 23rd beginning at 7:00 pm at the Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.

Entering the second year of Major League Rugby play, the Warriors return twenty one players from last season’s play-off team, including the league’s leading try scorer and 1st team All-MLR member Tonata Lauti (Position: Wing – From: Tonga) and 2nd team All-MLR members Alex Tucci (Prop – Florida) and Matt Jensen (Lock – Utah). Coach Daniels and General Manager Kimball Kjar have added eighteen new players to the roster including Mitre 10 and Super Rugby level players Johnny Ika (Srumhalf – Tonga), Gannon Moore (Center/Wing – USA), Tim O’Malley (Flyhalf – New Zealand) and James Semple (Flyhalf – New Zealand). Mitre 10 and Super Rugby are premier level of professional rugby competitions in New Zealand and are both renown for matriculating players to marquee opportunities on international and other professional
teams.

“Our collective experience with this 2019 team is impressive. Adding the level of talent to the mix has had an impact in training and practice and we feel that it will pay big dividends in the matches and through-out the season,” said team General Manager Kimball Kjar.

The Warriors have also added four new coaches to the mix including former
international and professional player and Scotland U20 head coach Stevie Scott (Scotland) as the Forwards Coach, former Super Rugby professional player James Semple (New Zealand) as the Backs Coach, former USA Eagles player Matt Byrd as Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Mark Drown as the Team Manager, who has served as the team manager for the Fijian National Rugby 7s Team and US Army Rugby Team. Semple’s contract allows him to also play on the team as a Flyhalf and it is anticipated that he will see some action during the season.

Head Coach Alf Daniels selected the coaches during the off-season and was intent on finding former professional players with a high level of skill-training, competitive coaching experience and who will bring intensity to the team culture. “We are light years ahead of where we were at this time last year and I credit that to Coaches Scott, Semple, Drown, and Byrd. They have all provided invaluable training, focus and professionalism to the boys,” said Coach Daniels. “In the international rugby circles, each of these men are well-known and respected as high-performance experts.”

In addition to the Warriors adding new players and coaches, they will also face new league members this year including the Toronto (Canada) Arrows and Rugby United New York. Major League Rugby has now expanded to nine teams and will add four more league teams next season with Boston, Atlanta, Dallas and Washington D.C. The 2019 schedule boasts a robust sixteen matches including home and away battles with 2018 MLR Champions the Seattle Seawolves on April 5th and May 26th respectively. The Warriors finished the 2018 Inaugural season with an appearance in the Semi-Finals and led the league in overall scoring and tries scored.

The Warriors are also pleased to announce that twin brothers Jared (Flyhalf-Fiji) and Joshua Whippy (Center – Fiji) will both return to full action after suffering severe leg breaks last season. Other key returning players are Lance Williams (Flanker-Hawaii) who is the All-time leading tackler in University of Hawai’i football team history, John Cullen (Flanker-Utah) a former All-PAC 12 Offensive Lineman for the University of Utah, and Fetu’u Vainikolo (Wing-Tonga) the All-time leading try scorer in Tonga history who has played in every major professional rugby league in the world over his illustrious career, including the Top 14, Pro 14, Premiership and Super Rugby.

2019 MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY HOME & AWAY SCHEDULE

Ticket are available for purchase here

Friday, February 1st at Austin (Tx) Elite 6:00 pm MST
Sunday, February 17th at San Diego Legion 3:00 pm MST
Saturday February 23rd vs. Glendale (Co) Raptors 7:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Saturday, March 2nd vs. New Orleans Gold 7:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Saturday, March 9th vs. New York United 7:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Saturday, March 23rd at Houston Sabercats 6:00 pm MST
Saturday, March 30th vs. Ontario (Canada) Arrows 2:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Friday, April 5th vs. Seattle Seawolves 7:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Saturday, April 13th at New Orleans Gold 1:30 pm MST
*Saturday, April 20th at Rugby United New York 5:30 pm MST
*Saturday, April 27th vs. Austin Elite 6:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Saturday, May 4th at Glendale (Co) Raptors 7:00 pm MST
Sunday, May 12th at Toronto (Canada) Arrows 12:00 pm MST
Saturday, May 18th vs. San Diego Legion 2:00 pm MST @ ZBS
Sunday, May 26th at Seattle Seawolves 6:00 pm MST
*Saturday, June 1st vs. Houston Sabercats 6:00 pm MST @ ZBS
* Broadcast on CBS Sports Network
Saturday, June 8th MLR Semifinals @ TBD
Saturday, July 15th MLR Championship @ TBD

Ticket are available for purchase here

UTAH WARRIORS & UTAH YOUTH RUGBY

The full Warriors roster includes thirteen players that came through the sport
participating in youth rugby in Utah. Earlier this year, the Utah Warriors announced their Warriors Pathway program that helps athletes progress through the sport from youth to high-performance and eventually professional play. Over the years, Utah Youth Rugby has helped launch players’ opportunities into the collegiate, Olympic and professional ranks. The Warriors and UYR are pleased to work in conjunction to grow youth rugby in Utah with the Junior Warriors, Warriors Academy and the Warriors Selects programs.

TICKETS & VENUE INFORMATION

The Utah Warriors led the league in average home attendance last year with over 4,300 per match and the largest home MLR match of the season at over 9,000 in attendance at Rio Tinto Stadium. Tickets to the Utah Warriors Home Matches can be found at here.

The Warriors play at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.

UTAH WARRIORS COACHES & PLAYERS BY THE NUMBERS

(39) Professional Athletes
(10) Countries Represented (USA, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, Zimbabwe)
(58) Total International Caps
(17) Players that played collegiate rugby (BYU, Utah, UVU, Davenport, St. Mary’s)
(6) Players that also played college football (BYU, Utah, Hawaii, Colorado State, SW Minnesota)
(3) Matches will be the MLR National Game of the week, including the June 1st match
(2) All-MLR Second Team Returners (Jensen & Tucci)
(1) All-MLR First Team Returner (Lauti)

2019 UTAH WARRIORS ROSTER

Vernon Ale | Wing/Fullback – SLC Spartans
Josh Anderson |  Wing – BYU
Jake Christmann | Scrumhalf – Glendale
Ben Connolly |  Center/Wing – Southern Districts Rugby Club (Sydney,
AUS)
John Cullen |  Flanker/Lock –  PC Haggis
Logan Daniels |  Prop/Hooker – Waikato
Ara Elkington |  Flanker – BYU/Humless
Iniki Fa’amausili |  Center – Glendale
Jahmin Gernhoefer |  Flanker – Souths Rugby Club (Brisbane, AUS)
Maika Hafoka |   Eightman – SLC Spartans
Johnny Ika | Scrumhalf/Fullback – Hawkes Bay RFC (NZ), Tonga A
Matt Jensen |  Lock – BYU
Jackson Kaka |  Flanker – BYU/Humless
Tonata Lauti |  Wing – Mana
Ian Luciano |  Scrumhalf – Mystic River
Angus MacLellan |  Prop –  Chicago Lions
Jeremy Misailegalu |  Wing/Center – Seattle Seawolves
Gannon Moore | Center – Kansas City Blues RFC, Northland(NZ)
Huluholo Mo’ungaloa |  Prop – Life West College
Joe Nicholls |  Scrumhalf – PC Haggis
Tim O’Malley  | Flyhalf – Tasman RFC (NZ)
Peni Pahulu | Center – Humless
Don Pati | Fullback / Utility – PC Haggis
Simon Quickfall  | Scrumhalf – Northcote RFC (NZ)
Josh Reeves  |  Flyhalf – Brazil Rugby
Kendrick Scott  |  Flanker – Kansas City Blues RFC
James Semple |  Flyhalf/Utility – Waikato
Nolan Tuamoheloa | Wing – Kau Toa
Alex Tuuci |  Prop – Okapi Wanderers
AJ Tuineau | Center – West Valley Lions
Saia ‘Uhila |   Flanker/Lock – Utah Brothers
Fetu’umoana Vainikolo | Wing/Center – Pau
Franco Van den Berg |   Prop – Blue Bulls
Alex Vorster |  Hooker – BYU
Viliami Vuli |  Lock/Flanker – Lomaiviti RC
Josh Whippy | Center / Fullback – BYU/Humless
Jared Whippy |  Flyhalf / Center – BYU/Humless
Calvin Whiting | Center – BYU
Lance Williams | Flanker – Hawai’i

Go here for more on the players