The Gladiator men jumped right out of sevens and back into the fifteens with invitation from the Major League Rugby Utah Warriors organization to participate in the first annual Crossroads Cup. This cup is a 4 week set of competition focused on finding players from the western area. Players are given the opportunity to play for 1 of 4 teams based on the region on where they are located.
Gladiators' CEO, Moresby Tauiautusa, was approached to participate in this opportunity and the Board took on the duties of coaching, recruiting and running one of these regional teams. You can find several Gladiators and recruits participating as a Salt Lake Wrangler.
The Salt Lake Wranglers kits are a bold red and navy blue with a wild horse as the logo. Designs were created and provided by the Utah Warrior marketing. Players Isaac Mayala, a Washington State recruit, Kome Tomasi, and Moresby Tauiautusa have been the bodies of marketing for Crossroads Cup Pathway. They can be found as part of the kit reveal within the Utah Warrior Pathway media or within the SLC Gladiators media as we continue to highlight the accomplishments of our organization.
The Salt Lake Wranglers took to the field for their first game this past Saturday October 29th at the McCarthy Field that evening. We are grateful to the University of Utah for allowing us to play the first of this series there under the lights.
SL Wranglers started the cup playing against the Northern Utah Gray Wolves that consisted players from the Gladiator rival, Salt Lake Spartans. It was a highly physical game with the Gray Wolves trying to get into Wranglers heads and mess with the game plan.
The Wranglers were able to keep their wits together and take the game 39-34. " We were lucky to win this game against the Gray Wolves" said Jason Toeava as he recapped the game. It was a great start to a 4 game series and it has been a big opportunity for these local boys to have.
The game on Saturday night was fun but over all thanks to the Utah warriors for opening up this great opportunity for our young players to show what they've got and hopefully get a chance to play in higher level of rugby -Jason Toeava
And he made a great point! It is an incredible opportunity that the Utah Warriors Pathway has provided and has been great working with Saia Uhila as he puts his time, effort and heart into growing the club to Utah MLR relationship. Alongside Brandon Sparks, the Warriors general manager, some big things here in Utah are happening. Growth takes a lot of time and effort. It has been noticeably beneficial to have the Utah Warriors staff behind us at a club level and support the importance of a good foundation. The relationships that they are building with local clubs will hopefully set fire to better growth, stronger rugby and all around improvement in Utah.
This first game allowed Salt Lake Wranglers to see where they were on skill level and address the weak points.
We mad a lot of mistakes during our plays stated Jason, but we bounced back from it. We still have a lot to learn and work on as we prepare for our next game.
The Salt Lake Wranglers appreciated the win but still jumped back to the field to work on their strengths and weaknesses snow or shine.
Alema Wong, one of the SL Wranglers and lock #5 for the game had great things to say:
Playing in our first game was a great experience. I was able to witness the experience everyone had both as an individual, player and as a team all together. These guys work their tails off throughout the week to prepare for game day and it shows. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside them and contribute to the team.
We couldn't be more grateful to those that came out to play and allow a full fifteens roster. Big thanks to our family and friends who continue to support us even after a busy summer schedule. We look forward to our next game coming up Saturday October 5th against the Salt Lake Moose at noon at the Alpine, Burgess Park.
Stay Strong