Utah Warriors Beats Jackals For Second Win Over Dallas This Season
May 13, 2023, 6:05 PM | Updated: May 15, 2023, 2:01 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Warriors used a fast start and tough defense down the final stretch to take down the Dallas Jackals for a big road victory.
The Jackals hosted the Warriors at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, May 13.
Utah beat Dallas, 36-26.
Dubs ✅#ForTheNation pic.twitter.com/D8QXiNQCg2
— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) May 14, 2023
It was Utah’s second win over the Jackals this season. The Warriors took down Dallas in the 2023 season opener.
During the seventh minute, No. 9 Connor McLeod powered his way up the middle of the field and into the try zone before downing the ball for the game’s first points. The play put Utah in front, 7-0.
Connor McLeod gets us started in Dallas! He scores under the posts for the first try of the game for the @utwarriorsrugby
🎥@therugbynetwork | #DALvUTAH | #MLR2023 pic.twitter.com/abNvYgZFPR
— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) May 13, 2023
A couple of minutes later, the Warriors flew down the field for another score. McLeod downed the ball in the try zone once again and pushed Utah’s advantage on the scoreboard to 14-0 early in the ninth minute.
Utah continued its early dominance with another seven points added to the tally by Joe Mano in the 11th minute. Mano’s try and a converted kick by Joel Hodgson extended the Warriors’ lead to 21-0.
In the 19th minute, the Warriors collected the ball after a flurry of kicks back and forth between the two squads. McLeod received a pass from Caleb Makene and down the ball for his third try. After a converted kick, the Warriors went up 28-0.
A flurry of tries from @utwarrioursrugby in the first 20, but the @DallasJackals respond with two tries of their own to end the half! Utah is up 28-14 at the half
🎥@therugbynetwork | #DALvUTAH | #MLR2023 pic.twitter.com/7CoE4pLtI9
— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) May 13, 2023
During the 28th minute, the Jackals finally found the try zone to end the Warriors’ scoring streak. Dallas connected on its conversion attempt, cutting Utah’s lead to 28-7.
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Five minutes later, Dallas downed another ball in the try zone for its second try of the contest. The Jackals made another kick and trimmed the Warriors’ early 28-0 lead in half to 28-14.
The Warriors took the 14-point advantage into the locker room at halftime.
After the break, Hodgson drilled a penalty kick from 22 yards out to push Utah’s lead to 31-14.
In the 44th minute, the Jackals fought their way through the Warriors and into the try zone for their first points of the second half. Dallas’ try cut Utah’s advantage to 31-19. The Jackals missed the subsequent conversion kick.
Following 10-plus scoreless minutes, the Warriors entered the try zone again. After a scrum near the goal line, Mano dotted the ball down for five more Utah points and his second try of the contest. However, Hodgson missed a kick after Mano’s try and the score remained 36-19.
TRY TIME!
Joe Mano walks one in to extend the lead#ForTheNation pic.twitter.com/ZwYLO1XfTw
— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) May 13, 2023
Dallas opened the 69th minute of action with their second try of the half. Dallas made its conversion kick to make it a 10-point game with a little over 10 minutes left in the match.
A few minutes later, Hodgson was unable to extend Utah’s lead to 13 points after he missed a kick wide left.
The Warriors were able to hold off the Jackals over the final minutes to capture the win.
After the final whistle, a small skirmish broke out between players on both teams. Players and officials quickly separated those involved.
With the win, the Warriors improved to a 7-0-4 record this season.
RELATED: Utah Warriors Fall To Top-Seeded San Diego Legion At Home
Utah’s next match is at home against the Houston SaberCats on Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. (MDT). The game will be broadcast on the KSL Sports app and KSLSports.com.
