Tonga's 1st try keeps Utah Warriors' playoff dreams alive with 3rd straight win


6 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes

HERRIMAN — The Utah Warriors' third straight win was never in serious jeopardy on Saturday.

But Tomasi Tonga's first try of the season was bigger than any match-winner.

The Herriman native dived for the try line in the final seconds of the weekend's match against Rugby ATL, dotting it down in the mere corner of the west try zone to give Utah a 28-12 win over Rugby ATL to keep the home club's playoff hopes alive with three matches remaining in the 2023 regular season.

With their third straight win, the Warriors improved to 9-4 with 43 points on the season, tied with Houston for third place in the West and a tiebreaker over the SaberCats on head-to-head results after Saturday's win in front of a franchise-record crowd of 4,650 fans at Zions Bank Stadium. Only Seattle (11-2) and San Diego (11-1) sit in front of the Warriors in the Western Conference with 54 points on the year.

"It's unreal. I love playing here; I get excited when we get home games," said Warriors front row Onehunga Havili after the match. "Everyone is loud from the start to the end. … I think they deserve the win, and they deserve us getting to the playoffs as we play for our fans and our families."

Joe Mano and Joel Hodgson each scored in the first half, and Utah jumped out to a 14-5 lead by halftime.

The Warriors stretched the advantage to 21-5 through Calvin Whiting's try in the 47th minute. Atlanta responded just a few moments later to pull within 21-12, but Utah dominated the front row and controlled the scrum to take a two-score lead into the final 10 minutes.

All that the Warriors lacked was a fourth try, which would've given Utah a crucial bonus point as it tried to keep pace with the Houston SaberCats for the third and final playoff berth out of the Western Conference.

Instead, it was the visiting Rattlers that pushed for a third try that would've earned the East's fourth-place team a bonus point for losing by seven or fewer points. But the try never came, after Utah forced two turnovers from less than five meters out in the final 10 minutes.

Tonga sprinted with seconds remaining, stretching for the post to dot down what would've been the Warriors' fourth try in the closing seconds.

The former U-17 and U-18 All-American who prepped at Herriman High worked his way up to professional rugby with the local Utah Saints amateur side and the Warriors' Selects developmental team.

But on Saturday night, the 6-foot, 230-pound center pushed his hometown club crucially closer to postseason contention with a try that also went to video review to confirm the call on the field.

"I think the boys are just having belief on each other and start playing for each other," Havili said. "It was our goal to get to the playoffs, and now we just have to play every game and fight for that spot."

Utah hits the road next Saturday, June 4 to face the West co-leading Seattle Seawolves in Tukwila, Washington. The Warriors then return home June 10 at 8 p.m. MDT to host the Chicago Hounds in the regular-season home finale before wrapping up the regular season June 19 at the New York Ironworkers.

Photos

Most recent Utah Warriors stories

Related topics

Utah WarriorsSportsNational Sports
KSL.com BYU and college sports reporter

ARE YOU GAME?

From first downs to buzzer beaters, get KSL.com’s top sports stories delivered to your inbox weekly.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast