Arriving early can pay off big, and the Utah Warriors (5-2) hope to again employ that concept again when traveling to take on the San Diego Legion (5-3) this Saturday.
Dissatisfied with the lack of success on the road heading into the current Major League Rugby season, Warriors Coach Greg Cooper aimed to change how his team approached road games dramatically. Of the most dramatic changes, simply arriving early for the match was at the forefront.
“We looked at everything after the end of last season, and we certainly wanted to change how we played away from home,” Cooper said. “So we decided that instead of arriving just a few hours before matches began, we’d make certain to arrive the night before, settle in, and then go play. So far it’s worked out really well.”
The numbers speak for themselves. Utah has compiled four wins on the road in as many attempts, which includes wins over top teams such as Chicago and last week against RFC Los Angeles.
Saturday’s game versus the Legion kicks off in the evening with the Warriors following the same script and will have been in San Diego for more than 24 hours for the 8 P.M. start.
They’ll do as much well-rested and ready to employ a front line that has proved dominant throughout the early season and a potent and often electric back line. Regarding the front line success, it was a big focus for Cooper and his staff in the offseason.
“We had to improve in all areas, but the front line is always a big key for any quality rugby team,” Cooper said. “So we not only wanted to bring in guys that could play well and were experienced, but also guys who were of great character who wanted to be Utah Warrior men. And we did that. We’ve been very happy with how they’ve bought in and led this team’s success.”
The new players added to the roster are plentiful, but leaders include team captain Gavin Thornbury along with other frontline standouts like Liam Coltman, Tonga Kofe, Aki Seiuli and Matt Jensen among several others. They’ve worked together to provide distinct advantages in both scrum and maul situations, but also in making key defensive stands throughout the season.
Utah will need all of that to continue if it hopes to defeat the Legion come Saturday.
“San Diego is a very talented team that will be hungry for a win after losing three straight games,” Cooper observed. “We have to be ready for their best effort because it’s a motivated and talented team that has seen a lot of success.”
The Warriors, meanwhile, are coming off a resounding 45-28 win last week over Los Angeles where it effectively addressed issues in closing out games strong and not allowing adverse moments to snowball into something bigger.
“I was really pleased with how we played the second half last week,” Cooper said. “But we can’t be satisfied and need to understand that San Diego will pose at least as big of a challenge. It’s a talented team that we’ve formed a good rivalry with, but it’s not about focusing on the rivalry. It’s about focusing on what we do well and continuing with the great improvements we saw last week.”
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