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SANDY, UTAH (Tuesday, April 28, 2009) - Rio Tinto Stadium will play host to the Utah Rugby Union High School State Championship this Saturday, May 2. The day of rugby action in Sandy featuring some of the nation's premier U-19/High School squads will begin at 12:00 p.m. MT, when the Kearns Rugby Cougars take on Davis County RFC, followed by a contest between a pair of powerhouse programs - Highland Rugby and United Rugby (Utah County) - at 2:00 p.m.
Currently, Highland is ranked #1 in the nation and United is ranked #2 in the nation. The two teams met last year in the National Championship game with Highland coming out on top.
Saturday's doubleheader will mark the second rugby event held at Rio Tinto Stadium, following on the heels of last November's USA Rugby doubleheader that featured contests against teams representing New Zealand and Uruguay.
The day of rugby action features several compelling storylines, starting with the rematch of last year's U-19 Rugby National Championship between Highland and United. It was the Highland program - the subject of the 2008 feature motion picture Forever Strong - winning its 18th national title last May in Pittsburgh, dominating United en route to a 41-5 victory in the championship contest. Saturday's opener will see Davis take on Kearns, a program that is helping to turn young lives around by getting at-risk youth off the streets and involved in the sport of rugby following a tragic gang-related shooting involving Kearns H.S. students in January.
Club seats at Rio Tinto Stadium for this weekend's high school rugby doubleheader are available for $10 for adults and $8 for students with proper school ID's, while all other seats in the Stadium will cost just $5 for adults and $4 for students. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.RioTintoStadium.com, over the phone at 888-4RSLTIX (888-477-5849), or in person at the Rio Tinto Stadium Box Office, open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. MT.
