Utah Warriors Fall To Toronto Arrows Despite Late Comeback Attempt
Mar 19, 2022, 4:30 PM | Updated: Oct 3, 2022, 11:37 am
(Photo courtesy of the Utah Warriors)
(Photo courtesy of the Utah Warriors)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Warriors trailed by 14 in the second half and was within three before falling to the Toronto Arrows 27-24 on Saturday afternoon.
It was a ferocious comeback attempt by the Utah Warriors in the last 10 minutes and had a chance to win but the Toronto Arrows held them off.
Both teams needed to get the win to keep their playoff hopes alive but the Warriors couldn’t protect their home turf.
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— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) March 19, 2022
Utah Warriors’ Massive Comeback Attempt Comes Up Short In Loss To Toronto Arrows
Toronto scored first with a try in the 13th minute and had a 7-0 lead following a successful conversion. Utah answered with a kick to cut the deficit to 7-3 in the 23rd minute. The Warriors took their first lead of the match when Lance Williams made a nice tackle that got the ball free. Mikey Te’o picked up the ball and ran in between the pipes for a try. After the kick, Utah had a 10-7 lead in the 25th minute.
That was the score when the first half whistle went off with the Warriors holding the halftime advantage.
Like the first half, Toronto scored the first points in the second half with a try but didn’t get the kick to go through the uprights. Toronto had a 12-10 lead in the 45th minute.
Toronto extended their lead to 17-10 in the 50th minute with a try but didn’t get the conversion for the second straight attempt. The Arrows made it a two-score game with a try and a conversion to go up 24-10 in the 66th minute.
One minute later, Toronto got a long kick to go and went ahead 27-10 in the 69th minute. In the 73rd minute, Cliven Loubser bolted up the near sideline and scored a try. He also nailed the conversion to cut the Toronto lead to 27-17.
Utah surged back in a matter of one minute with Connor Burns scoring a try. Loubser nailed the conversion kick and the Arrows had a 27-24 lead in the 76th minute.
Utah had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds with a scrum near their try zone. Into extra time, an offsides penalty was called on Toronto, which gave the Warriors another opportunity to pick up the win. With the ball five meters away from the try zone, Toronto was able to take possession away to get the win on the road.
The Warriors dropped their record to 2-4-0 on the season. They will return to Zions Bank Stadium to face the Houston SaberCats on Saturday, March 26 at 5:00 p.m. MT on FS1.
