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The Utah Warriors got their first-ever franchise win they wanted at the grand opening of Zions Bank Stadium but may have paid a heavy price in doing so. A serious-looking injury suffered by star outside back Josh Whippy in the dying moments of the game marred a spectacle of running rugby that saw the Warriors run up an 80-17 final score over the visiting Prairie Wolf Pack.
To make matters worse their Tongan international winger Fetu’u Vainikolo received a red card early in the second half for tackle that landed Jake Bentley on his head. Vainikolo is now certain to find himself in front of the judiciary. Even a best-case scenario will see him miss at least the regular season opener against the San Diego Legion next week.
Otherwise the match could not have gone any better for Utah. The Whippy twins were in spectacular form throughout, with Josh crossing less than two minutes into the game and finishing with four tries on his own. Jared landed eight conversions and added two tries in the final quarter to finish with 26 points.
Utah had their way with the Canadian Rugby Championship side in virtually every department. Their power runners broke tackles at will and even the scrum was dominant. Forced to spend more than half the game with only 14 men after Angus MacLellan was shown yellow for an early tip tackle, the numeric disadvantage seemed to have no effect on their ability to score points.
Rampaging No8 Saia Uhila grabbed a double with singles going to Tonata Lauti, Matt Jensen, Alex Tucci, and Ben Nicholls. Beefy Tongan midfielder Paki Afu added two awkward but accurate conversions after Whippy decided he had enough.
To their credit the Wolf Pack didn’t capitulate entirely and earned two tries for themselves. Jake Robinson, their best player on the day, forced his way over late in the first half and Adam Bontus found his way to the line mid-way into the second. Evan Thomas made the first conversion but couldn’t connect from out wide after Bontus scored.
With Utah on attack in the 73rd minute Josh Whippy went down in visible distress with a lower leg injury. The medical staff called for a stretcher and with the result far beyond any doubt the two sides agreed to end the game seven minutes early.
The Warriors now face an anxious wait for the results of his assessment but early indications suggest they may be without Whippy for the best part of the season if not all. It’s a terrible blow to a team that will take great confidence from such a dominant showing.
Utah will observe the other six Major League Rugby teams in action this weekend before officially beginning their campaign at Torero Stadium next Sunday. The Wolf Pack head back north with little to show from their American adventure and the Royal Air Force arriving in Calgary mid-June.
SCORING
WARRIORS 80
Tries – Jo. Whippy 4 (2’, 18’, 42’, 57’), S. Uhila 2 (13’, 49’), T. Lauti (22’), M. Jensen (31’), A. Tucci (39’), B. Nicholls (59’), Ja. Whippy 2 (63’, 71’)
Cons – Ja. Whippy 8/10 (3’, 14’, 19’, 31’, 40’, 43’, 50’, 58’), P. Afu 2/2 (64’, 72’)
Yellow cards – A. MacLellan (4’)
Red cards – F. Vainikolo (45’)
WOLF PACK 12
Tries – J. Robinson (35’), A. Bontus (54’)
Cons – E. Thomas 1/2 (36’)
TEAMS
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Alex Tucci, 2 Lote Tu’ipulotu, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 Matt Jensen, 5 Kory Olsen, 6 Kenny Scott, 7 Wineera Elkington, 8 Saia Uhila, 9 Ben Nicholls, 10 Jared Whippy, 11 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 12 Paul Lasike (capt.), 13 Josh Whippy, 14 Josh Anderson, 15 Tonata Lauti
Replacements: 16 Ray Forrester, 17 Maika Hafoka, 18 Peni Pahulu, 19 Lance Williams, 20 Ara Elkington, 21 Joseph Nicholls, 22 Paki Afu, 23 Vernon Ale, 24 AJ Tu’ineau
PRAIRIE WOLF PACK
1 Gareth Brown, 2 Gabriel Kajdy, 3 Logan Jones, 4 Riley Fahlman, 5 James Blanchard, 6 Connor Gilbert, 7 Kyle Morrison, 8 FJ Bronkhorst, 9 Jake Robinson (capt.), 10 Ruairi O’Farrell, 11 Jake Bentley, 12 Derek Arnold, 13 Adam Bontus, 14 Liam O’Hallahan, 15 Evan Thomas
Replacements: 16 Anthony Battistone, 17 Simon Miller, 18 Robert Blunden, 19 Jacob Horton, 20 Mark Discombe, 21 Richard Migneault, 22 Ian Shoults
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Scott Green (USAR)
