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Utah have yet to announce it yet, but the Warriors have their first new player of the 2019 Major League Rugby season. Arriving from the Glendale Raptors is scrumhalf Jake Christmann. While only 19 years old, he helps fill arguably the most pressing gap in the Warriors roster from the 2018 season.
After experimenting with Don Pati at the pivotal spot in the preseason, the Warriors settled for Joseph Nicholls as their starting scrumhalf for the season, with cover provided by brother Ben. The situation was not ideal with the Nicholls brothers more comfortable at flyhalf and Pati at fullback.
Christmann was understudy to US Eagles starter Shaun Davies at Glendale but acquitted himself well. He started four games and showed a long, accurate passing game. Christmann was overlooked for the USA Junior All-American side that played against Canada but remains eligible for the u20 side in 2019 and is likely to be considered favorite to fill the role played by Ruben de Haas this season.
He’ll have to wait to make his Warriors debut, however, as surgery on a leg injury in the past week will see Christmann miss out on the first few weeks of the 2019 campaign. It remains to be seen if Utah will add another specialist scrumhalf or look to the Nicholls brothers once again.
Glendale added New Zealander Mickey Bateman in the second half of the 2018 season who looks to be second choice to Davies for 2019. Academy halfback Carlo de Nysschen, like Davies a native of South Africa, is a third option at scrumhalf.
