Utah rugby coach Mark Numbers couldn’t have pictured it going any better. The No. 9 Scrummin’ Utes absolutely dominated their competition all weekend long at the Red Rock Rugby Tournament in St. George, winning a pair of games in convincing fashion.
“It was an extremely productive weekend for us,” Numbers said. “We had some younger guys really step up and work, and we got out of there with a couple wins.”
Utah began competition last Friday by handling the Zoomies from Air Force, 76-14. Captains Scott Nielsen and Peter Black got the Scrummin’ Utes off to a fast start with a pair of quick tries, and it was all downhill from there.
After sitting out Fall Semester, Tom Bunnell also came on strong for the Utes on several occasions, making quick work of the Zoomies.
“That was a great opportunity for us to establish a core group of players,” Numbers said. “We took 53 players down there, so there isn’t much lack for competition within the team.”
The Utes came back on the second day of competition with an equally impressive game from their B-side (second string) lineup against UVSC. Tom McDermott and Mike Kimball turned in notable performances, and the Scrummin’ Utes ran away with another victory, 25-5.
The Utes will return to action March 10 against rival BYU, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the nation. The game won’t only determine bragging rights, but also who will carry the No. 1 seed into the Territorials in early April.
“The guys definitely won’t need any motivation for that game,” Numbers said. “They have March 10 circled on their calendars and are looking forward to it.”
