Utah Warriors Set to Host Thrilling Western Conference Final

HERRIMAN, Utah (ABC4 Sports) – Coming off the biggest victory in franchise history, the Utah Warriors get another chance to make more history Saturday night.

The Warriors host the Houston Sabercats with the winner moving on to the Major League Rugby Championship game next week.

Utah held on to beat the Seattle Seawolves last Saturday, 23-21, for its first playoff victory in its their 8-year history.

Warriors beat Seattle, advance to Western Conference Final

“It was huge,” said Warriors head coach Greg Cooper. “You could see the the elation from the crowd, the elation from the players. We talk a lot about representing Utah, and rugby is a big sport here.”

“It was an awesome feeling,” said Warriors player Aki Seiuli. “And the community is getting behind us and it’s great to see. The vibes are great.”

The Warriors know what is at stake tomorrow night at Zions Bank Stadium, a chance to advance to the championship game for the first time ever.

“A little bit nervous, but it’s good nerves,” Seiuli said. “The main thing was we’re all excited, we’re ready for the challenge. Now it’s just really looking forward.”

The Sabercats beat the Warriors twice during the regular season, winning both games by at least 20 points. But Utah feels it is a different now, having won four straight games. Its last loss came against Houston on May 17th.

“They had a fast start in both of those games,” said Warriors player Tonga Kofe. “They have good players. I think the thing we’re going to learn is we can’t think we’re out of it. We’ve got to stay in it, keep our head down and work.”

“There’s some lessons we learned out of those games,” Cooper said. “So we know that will we will be better for it. We expect to lose some battles on the field. This is a quality Houston team, but this is a totally different team, and we are fresher than we were the last time we played.”

If you thought last week’s atmosphere was loud, this week’s should be an all-timer, with the fans set to cheer on their team for the final time this season.

“Oh, it’s crazy,” Kofe said. “Every game it’s so loud. I it’s always packed out. I love home games. It’s super loud, super supportive, and there’s a lot of chirping going on. I love it.”

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a Warriors team that failed to even make the postseason the last three seasons. Getting to a championship game would mean the world.

Utah Warriors excited about first ever home playoff game

“A lot of people have been here since day one,” said Seiuli. “There are a few players that have been here since the start. Not only will it be great for us, but also for them, because they’ve been here since day one. That’s something we wanted to complete and achieve.”

“It will mean a lot, not just for our players, for all the hard work we put in, but I think for the fans,” said Kofe. “The fans been been with this team for a while now. Considering last year’s season, seeing that they’re still here supporting us, still showing us love, I think it’s more for them than it is for us.”

Utah and Houston will kick off at 7:00 p.m. Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman. The winner will advance to the Major League Rugby Championship Game on June 28th in Rhode Island.

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