Advertisement
Benn N. (6'), Leuila D. (11'), Coltman L. (43'), Vugakoto R. (54', 68'), Crowley L. (74')
Tries
Crimp S. (33'), Hewitt C. (39'), Lopeti T. (59'), Helu V. (63'), Klein S. (71')
Leuila D. (7', 12', 54', 75')
Conversions
Rutherford H. (34', 40', 60')
Logan Crowley scored a late winner as Utah Warriors moved back to the top of the Western Conference following a thrilling win over San Diego Legion.
Warriors moved four points clear of second-place Houston SaberCats, while the Legion remain third, eight points off the top spot.
MLR’s Wednesday night rugby failed to disappoint as a healthy crowd at Zions Bank Stadium were treated to an 11-try seesaw contest that remained in the balance throughout.
| # | Team | PL | W | L | D | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Utah Warriors | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 88 | 9 | 41 |
| 2 |  Houston SaberCats | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 70 | 9 | 37 |
| 3 |  San Diego Legion | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 9 | 33 |
| 4 |  RFCLA | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | -28 | 11 | 27 |
| 5 |  Seattle Seawolves | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 25 |
Benn's barnstorming opener following quick hands to the outside
Warriors took the lead through Nic Benn's touchdown following quick hands to the outside, which allowed the centre to power his way over the line for a converted score.
The home side's lead was doubled moments later when Samoa international fly-half D'Angelo Leuila scored a seven-pointer, but San Diego levelled the scores on the stroke of half time through Steffan Crimp's and Charlie Hewitt's tries.
Try fest continued in second half
Liam Coltman scored his seventh try of the season off a well-worked driving maul to restore Utah's lead, which was quickly extended courtesy of Veremalua Vugakoto touching down.
But their visitors wouldn't go away as Tavite Lopeti's try, improved by Harris Rutherford, was followed by USA international Viliami Helu getting on the scoresheet to once again level the scores at 26-26.
Utah went ahead for a third time when Vugakoto grabbed his second score of the day, but once again, the never-say-die character of the Legion was showcased with former Crusaders hooker Shilo Klein's try.
With under ten minutes to play, the game was in the balance until Crowley's 74th-minute try and Leuila's conversion put the hosts ahead by seven points.
Legion pushed hard for a late score to cancel out Utah's lead for a fifth time, but the home side's defence held strong and gained a valuable victory at the end of a thrilling Major League Rugby encounter.
