Warriors head to California to face RFCLA

HERRIMAN — The Utah Warriors (1-2) matchup versus RFC Los Angeles (0-3) this Sunday features two teams whose status at this early juncture can be deceiving.

For Utah, it played the first three games of the season without several proven performers in the lineup, although at least three top players are expected to return from injury for Sunday’s game. Joe Mano, who finished second in all of Major League Rugby last season in try total is expected to return, along with standouts Mika Kruse and Michael Manson.

“We know that we’re not far away and we have some key guys coming back that will be nice to see — some of the heavy hitters we’ve had in the past,” said Utah Warriors coach Greg Cooper. “I think one of the things that has happened with the injuries is that we’ve given some players an opportunity, and so I think we’ll be more balanced.”

Cooper is quick to temper expectations for each individual returning from injury, however, pointing out that each of them likely won’t be 100 percent, which is typical for players coming off of injury, Still, their presence should prove a boost for a Warriors team that struggled mounting attacks last week in a 23-13 loss to the Seattle Seawolves.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, has lost three straight to start the season, although Cooper readily notes the majority of its games could have easily gone the other way.

“Their record doesn’t demonstrate how their season’s gone,” Cooper said. “They really should have beaten Dallas…and they probably should have beaten San Diego, so they have eight tries (scored) and eight conceded — same as us, so…we’re very, very similar, to be honest and I think they should have won two of their three games.”

Los Angeles features a lot of aspects that will be tough to play against, according to Cooper.

“Defensively they’re very strong at the breakdown,” Cooper observed. “They put a lot of pressure on the breakdown and they’re very connected defensively. And they have some very good playmakers, so they’re going to be a side that we’re going to have to work very hard to break down, and we’re going to have to be accurate.”

As for his own team, Cooper is hoping to bring about better scoring opportunities in fixing his team’s set pieces and other certain aspects that largely escaped the team’s overall performance last Saturday.

“Our set pieces haven’t been where we want them to be on the line-out,” Cooper said. “We need to get that right, and if we get that right I think we can play more territory and we can use the ball more.”

The Warriors remain motivated and with positive attitudes despite losing two of their first three games on the season. Considering the return of such notable players as Mano, Kruse and Manson, players are optimistic regarding their ability to turn things around and get right back into the hunt for a playoff berth.

Considering Sunday’s match will mark just week four of an eighteen-week regular season, there’s a lot of time to make up, although digging too big of a hole early on certainly isn’t prudent.

“We’re not losing sight of the fact that there’s a lot of rugby yet to be played,” Cooper said. “And we’re also not losing sight of the fact that a positive result this week will put us right in the mix in this early stage.”

UTAH WARRIORS VS RFC LOS ANGELES

DATE: Sunday, March 24

TIME: 4 P.M. MST

WHERE: Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles

BROADCAST: TRN, KMYU, KSLSPORTS.com

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