HERRIMAN, Utah — The Utah Warriors (4-4) have hit a good stride in recent weeks, but will receive a tough test this week when taking on the Houston Sabercats (7-1) Saturday night at Zions Bank Stadium.
It will be the second time this year the Warriors have faced off versus Houston, and while much has changed for them since their 22-15 loss at Houston to open the 2024 season, Warriors coach Greg Cooper believes Saturday’s game will pose a tremendous challenge.
“It would be great to get a great crowd out there this week because they are the No. 1 team in the conference,” Cooper said. “We feel that we have momentum that could come to a pretty abrupt halt if we don’t get it done out there on the field. Getting the support from our home crowd can be something really special, we feel.”
Utah enters the game having won two straight, including a very encouraging 31-24 win over Old Glory DC last week. While the final result was tight, Cooper is focused on what his team did on the field during the first 20 minutes in building a commanding 21-0 lead with some of the best rugby he’s seen from his team to date.
“I think the first 25 minutes we played last week was the best rugby we’ve played all year,” Cooper said. “We just have to sustain that and play longer like that.”
Adverse weather affected the Warriors play for the final 60 minutes of play last week, but a similar scenario won’t likely come this week, with clear skies and relatively fantastic weather conditions forecasted for Saturday night.
As for combating Houston’s physical approach, the key will be to not allow it to dictate the course of play, which will prove a challenge.
“The important thing against Houston is getting into your set pieces and matching their physicality,” Cooper said. “If you do that, then you have a good shot to win the game. Everyone knows that — everyone knows how good they are with what they do.”
The good news is that the Warriors have shown significant strides with its forwards in key areas, such as executing a productive line-out.
“It’s a testament to the quality of players that we have there,” Cooper said of the improved front line play in recent weeks. “We struggled a bit early on, but…it’s clearly getting better now, and the forwards get that credit, along with the coaches and our line-out leader, Frank (Lochore).”
Utah’s forward play will be at a premium, considering Houston’s style of play, all of which Cooper is excited to see play out come Saturday.
“It’s a challenge and that’s what we want,” Cooper said. “We’re playing them at home, and we’re proud of our home and our community. So it’s great to (play) them here and to test ourselves. We’re headed in the right direction and we just need to reach another level this week.”
Get tickets to the game HERE.
UTAH WARRIORS VS HOUSTON SABERCATS
WHEN: Saturday, May 4
TIME: 7 P.M. MST
WHERE: ZIONS BANK STADIUM
BROADCAST: KMYU, KSLSPORTS.COM, TRN