It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.  That was the message Genesis Rugby Club Head Coach Tuli Vaitohi delivered to his team after they opened up the Utah club rugby season with a victory Saturday in the opening weekend of Utah Youth Rugby action.

It was a hard-nosed Brighton team that took on Genesis, but in the end, the Genesis depth proved to be too much for the home side to overcome, and Genesis won 49-15.

Genesis got a quick start by scoring a try only a few minutes into the game.  After a few phases of forward ball, senior Lock Kingi Langi grabbed a pick-and-go and ran through the defense for a 40-meter try. Moments later, after receiving the kick from Brighton, junior scrumhalf Tai Kauwe took the ball out of the second ruck and took it in from 50 meters out.  After converting both scores, Genesis had jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and appeared to be off to the races.  

Genesis then started to show that they were not yet in midseason form yet. A variety of mistakes, including knock-ons and penalties, slowed Genesis down and gave Brighton a glimmer of hope.  Brighton was able to capitalize on the penalties that backed Genesis up to their own tryline, and this allowed Brighton to punch one in on a tap-and-go. This made the score 14-5 and it appeared that the momentum had changed.  

The ensuing restart changed the fortunes permanently in the favor of Genesis. After a few defensive phases, Genesis was able to steal the ball and sent it wide where fullback Vili Wolfgramm was able to touch it down under the posts. Kauwe scored quickly thereafter, and Genesis led 26-5.

Despite a furious push from Brighton at the beginning of the second half, Genesis was able to once again score with an impressive 65-meter run from Wolfgramm that saw him break several tackles and juke several other defenders. Other try-scorers in the second half included junior prop Lakei Kolomalu and senior wing Niua Tuita. Brighton added a couple of late tries, but it was ultimately too little, too late.  

“Although I am happy with the win, it’s clear that we have a lot to work on," said Vaitohi. "The effort was there but we just weren’t as sharp as we will need to be moving forward.”

Next week Genesis goes on the road to face 53rd ranked Kau Toa in what will likely prove to be a much more difficult matchup. 

“Kau Toa will be a formidable opponent and we will need to be a lot better against them than we were today.  We are looking forward to the test,” said Vaitohi.