The University of Utah will take on BYU this weekend in St. George, Utah in a clash that’s just a warmup for another game the two will play later this season.

But a warmup is still a pretty big deal. This game shouldn’t be called a “friendly.” The Utes and the Cougars have as heated a rivalry as any in college rugby, and while this game might have some liberal sub rules and an aura of “let’s just see where we stand,” it also is a chance to set down a marker.

“Both schools have a solid rugby program and a tradition of excellence,” said BYU Head Coach David Smyth in his team’s pre-game release. “There has been a healthy rivalry between the two schools for years now. Utah always comes ready to play.”

“The rivalry goes back to high school for a lot of us,” said Utah flyhalf Danny Christensen. “A lot of us know each other from playing in high school. It’s got history. This isn’t the Wasatch Cup game, but I don’t think it loses any intensity.” 

“We definitely feel ready for this game,” said BYU captain Kyle Sumsion in BYU’s preview. “There was a lot of energy in our game against ASU. The guys have put in a lot of time and that’s showing on the field.”

BYU comes off a strong second-half showing against Arizona State. Meanwhile, Utah swept the field in the PAC-North tournament a week after losing to St. Mary’s.

“I think the St. Mary’s game showed our lack of fitness,” said Christensen. “We hung with them for 20 minutes but then they pulled away. We’ve been working on fitness a lot in training now, not just outside practices. The tournament was great because some guys got 160 to 200 minutes,  and that really tested us.”

Christensen is coming back from a series of injuries - torn ACL, broken ankle, and torn meniscus - which has been easing back into 100% health.  But his leadership on a young team will be important.

“I am feeling healthy and feel I can go 100%,” said Christensen. “As a team we feel good. We have 100% confidence in our coaching staff and what we’re trying to do. We have a lot of youth, but we have some experience players too. And we get to play BYU twice in a season. That’s a great thing.”

Utah and BYU kick off at Snow Canyon High School Saturday at 1pm Mountain Time.