The Utah Warriors began their 2019 Major League Rugby campaign on the road against Austin Elite on Friday evening. A number of players made their MLR debut for the side, including starters Franco van den Berg, Logan Daniels, Ian Luciano, James Semple, Tim O’Malley, and Sione Ika. Other debutants included replacement prop Huluholo Mo’ungaloa and second row Maikeli Naromaitoga.
It was the second game of the season for Austin, who were looking to rebound from their narrow defeat to the Houston SaberCats in Week 1. Head coach Alain Hyardet handed first starts to hooker Tiaan Erasmus, openside flanker Dom Bailey, scrumhalf Marcelo Torrealba, and fullback Soheyl Jaoudat. New signing Dylan Pieterse also featured as a replacement.
The match in its entirety can be seen below courtesy of MLR. A detailed report can be seen here.