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SANDY — Former BYU running back Paul Lasike didn’t recognize his own rugby team at halftime of the Utah Warriors’ preseason exhibition against Canada’s Ontario Arrows.
He let them know it — and the Warriors responded.
Utah overturned a 14-point halftime deficit with three-straight tries, but the Arrows rallied back to score Pat Lynott’s match-winner with seven minutes remaining to hold off Utah, 24-20 Friday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.
“It was a pretty embarrassing first half and I told them to take it personal,” said Lasike, the former BYU rugby national champion who spent time in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals and Chicago Bears. “They were laughing, especially in the forward pack, just keeping it in the forwards for a real letdown.
“We told them how it was, and the boys responded really well in the second half. We took a few steps forward from last week.”
Paki Afu, Fetu’u Vainikolo and Joshua Whippy each scored a try for the Warriors, who will move into Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on April 20.
“We just spoke about manning up and trying to beat your opponent — playing for one another,” Afu said. “We were all over the place in the first half, but we said how it was and told everyone to man up in the second half. We did.”
The Warriors played their final match at Rio Tinto Stadium, adding a loss after the 42-15 defeat to the Glendale Raptors in front of a U.S. domestic-record crowd of 9,176 in the exhibition opener a week ago.
For their second exhibition, Utah drew 4,967 fans on a rainy night in Sandy. Those in attendance left a dramatic impression on the visitors, who hail from parts of Canada where as many as 15,000 high school-aged boys play rugby every year.
“These fans were so full of energy, it was fantastic,” Ontario coach Chris Silverthorn said. “We had trouble communicating with the mics because it was so loud in the stadium. The passion for the game, the way it is presented — it’s going to explode here if that is just the start of it.”
Ontario’s Rob Brouwer and Mitch Richardson each scored a try to lead the Arrows to a 17-3 halftime lead.
But the Warriors came back with 17-unanswered points.
“That second half was tough,” Ontario captain Mike Sheppard said. “Utah threw everything at us. Their centers were absolutely incredible with wonderful hands, good speed, and well to break the line.
“They made us have to scramble.”
Afu pulled the Warriors within a try, 17-10, just moments after halftime. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound outside center from New Zealand crawled across the goal line, pulling three Arrows defenders with him as he scored Utah’s first try of the game underneath the post in the 46th minute.
Former #BYU fullback Paul Lasike on the @warriorsrugbyut loss, and what to learn from it. pic.twitter.com/aVrdrCJsA6
— KSL SportsBeat (@kslsports) April 7, 2018
After knocking on the door of another try twice, Vainikolo scooped up a loose ball and sprinted down the left sideline to pull the Warriors within two, 17-15. Vainikolo sidestepped two tackles on the way to the corner, which left little room for the ensuing conversion and the kick missed to leave the home side with a two-point deficit in the 57th minute.
“All I had to do was catch the ball and run, so I did,” Vainikolo said.
Whippy gave Utah its first lead of the game just four minutes. The former BYU rugby standout took an exceptional pass from twin brother Jared Whippy and turned on the burners for a 40-yard sprint that gave the Warriors a 20-17 advantage in the 61st minute.
But the lead didn’t last.
Lynott’s gave the lead right back to Ontario, 24-20, with a try in the 73rd minute of the second-half rubber match.
“We made a mistake going wide where we should’ve used the backs more to suck the defense in,” Vainikolo said. “We didn’t earn our front, and that’s why we made a mistake. We went wide without going forward to give us the space out wide.
“That was our downfall. But the good thing about our job is that we get to go back to the drawing board, learn and try to fix it and move on.”
Utah will take a week off before christening its formal stadium April 20 against Canadian side Toronto Wolfpack.
Inaugural match
