Herriman finished the Ra Puriri Invitational undefeated to kick off their season.

A staple of the Utah Youth Rugby preseason, the Ra Puriri Invitational took place this past weekend with spirited competition that saw plenty of high-quality rugby in a collegial atmosphere. The tournament is named after the father of Michael Puriri and Colin Puriri. Colin is Head Coach of United, while Michael coaches the host team, Snow Canyon.

Each team played one game on Friday followed by two on Saturday. Genesis started strong with an impressive win over host Snow Canyon, while United opened strong as well in a 24-0 victory over East, with Carter Southwick showing well. Herriman met Red Mountain out of Arizona in game 3, with Red Mountain several games in to their season while Herriman was running out for the first time.  Herriman came in to the game hoping to overcome existing injuries to their two most experienced players, 15s HS All American Jackson Hammer and sevens HS All American Kingi Fisi’ipeau. Both are out for several weeks.

The Mustangs got an early jolt from the return of captain Ngana Leakehe, a starter in 2018 who missed all of last season. Leakehe was a presence in the midfield from the opening whistle, consistently putting his team on the front foot with punishing runs in to the heart of the Red Mountain defense. This midfield pressure opened up the outside, with some nice passing finding sophomore Xanda Scott for a try in the corner only minutes into the game. They added another score soon after on a long break by junior scrumhalf Strider Fountaine, who outpaced the defense for a 60-meter run. 

Herriman kept the offensive pressure up, keeping the ball away from Red Mountain most of the half and making headway with the power running of forwards Mana Kula, Mason Barker, and Zach Worthington. All three scored tries in the half, with Barker assisting on junior lock Sam Adamson’s try, as well. 

First-year center Davis Byrge had several big breaks on a Herriman team that looked unexpectedly polished considering this was their first game.

By the time the whistle blew for the half, the advantage was 34-0. With 36 players on the trip, and open sub rules allowing all teams to get early looks on as many players as possible, the Mustangs subbed liberally. Flanker Scott Sam added a converted try in the second half, and Red Mountain characteristically continued to play hard, righting the ship to touch down for two second half scores for a 41-10 final.

Day Two 

Day 2 began with United over Red Mountain and Genesis over East.  With two games on the day and with numbers to spare, Herriman decided to split its group in two, with a more experienced side resting for the later match and a younger, less experienced side to face the Rhinos and get some valuable game time. The game was a spirited and evenly contested match, with kicks making the difference.  Fiso Afo, Dean Smith, and Russell Dehaan showed well for the Mustangs, but the Rhinos were able to make one of their conversions, while Herriman missed all 4, including a conversion at full time that would have given them a draw.  The Rhinos came out on top 22-20.

Olympus defeated Snow Canyon, followed by Red Mountain narrowly defeating East, to give way for a matchup of United vs Herriman.  This is a long standing rivalry in Utah built on mutual respect from the two programs, and these games are almost always close and intense.   

It was clear from the opening whistle that this would be a typical Herriman-United game, as both teams brought some quality play and solid execution early on, neither one giving an inch through several phases. United had an early scoring opportunity and took several pokes at the Mustang defense, but the defensive wall was strong and a turnover cleared the early pressure. Herriman recycled the ball through double-digit phases, but United would not yield, matching up well and not giving the Herriman backline any room to run. 

When Herriman did get inside the 22 it looked to have a numbers advantage and attempted to kick over the United line, but the kick went awry from the side of the foot, and the ball was turned over. United dominated possession for a while afterward, methodically working the ball downfield and getting some help from penalties that were kicked ahead in to touch. Herriman’s goal line defense would hold once again though phase after phase with some physical open field tackling by junior captain Mason Barker, but eventually the backline got a little too eager and sucked in, and United found their speedy wing around the corner before Herriman could recover. Herriman had another scoring chance just before halftime but were not able to punch through from 5 meters out and gave the ball away from a handling error, so the score remained 5-0 United at halftime.  

The second half mirrored the first for several minutes, but slowly Herriman was able to find some running room through the United defense. Perhaps sensing that space would be tough to exploit without playmakers Hammer and Fisi’ipeau on the field, they turned to their pack to provide go-forward. Sophomore hooker Caden Sydall made a big break up the middle, followed by a long break by Byrge that ended up in touch but gained valuable territory that would become important with a Herriman lineout steal. 

The Mustangs patiently worked the ball close to the tryline, where the ball made it in to the hands of Leakehe. Expecting the physical center to attempt to power over, the United defense collapsed on him, and Leakehe smartly found junior prop Dominic Mitchell in support, and Mitchell scored. Sydall narrowly missed the conversion attempts from the sideline conversion and the teams were tied 5-5.

Both teams got close a few times only to be stymied by early season sloppiness—handling errors, passes that were just a little off, and some untimely penalties. Herriman got a penalty 22 meers out but as the Herrian coaches yellwed for a shot at goal, the players tapped quick and did it incorrectly, giving a scrum to United.

Herriman was able to get the ball back, however, and after several attempts to punch the ball in, first-year lock Carter Pearce took the initiative and bullied his way over the line in a twisting, driving run. Sydall sotted the conversion, and Herriman led 12-5 with time almost expired. United mounted a furious comeback and made it all the way down near the goal line, but as they had done all game, the Herriman defense held strong and kept them out. Worthington was able to turn the ball over, with junior Flyhalf Daxton McPeak putting it in to touch to end a hard fought game.

Herriman returns home to face neighboring Riverton on Saturday for their home opener.