Utah Valley Through To Union Final In Emphatic Fashion

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Mar
19

Utah Valley University opened the Utah Rugby Union Division II Championships with an emphatic 70-0 victory over Boise State University in the first semi-final in Boise on Friday afternoon.

The 12 try to none victory was the Wolverines biggest win of the season, eclipsing the 50 point mark for the second time in 5 days. Outside center Johnny Schumacher led the way with a personal tally of four tries and a hand in setting up two others in what was a busy day for the Utah Valley backs, crossing for all but two of the 12 tries.

It took the UV side a while to warm up in this match, the enterprising play of the Boise State side a big part of that. They dominated possession throughout the opening exchanges, strong runs of the fringes of rucks and a big defensive effort rattling the boys from Orem a little and creating errors when they were able to get their hands on the ball.

But after holding steady for the opening facet of play, the Utah Valley side capitalized on a dominant performance at the breakdown to create their first try. Turnover ball at the ruck saw a skip pass to Schumacher and all he had to do was draw the last defender and wing Clarence Matuauto was over for his first try as a Wolverine.

Clarence Matuauto breaks up the sideline vs Boise State

The Utah Valley forwards began flexing their muscle up front and the solid platform created plenty of time and space for the Utah Valley backline to run at will. A quick tap penalty by fly half Malakai Tuakimoana found 8 man Mo Mitani at pace close to the line and UVU had their second. A perfectly weighted chip kick bounced just right for inside center Josh Pukahi and the score was 15-0 in the blink of an eye. A devastating scrum saw the Boise State side pushed off their own ball 5 meters from their goal line and the big UV pack walked over for another score. The backs had the last say of the half though, Tuakimoana showing great power and a mesmerizing step to score from halfway before Schumacher used a perfect line to cap a 15 phase possession and send the Utah Valley side into the shed with a handy 34-0 lead.

The second half proved to be much of the same and quick ruck ball continued to find the center pairing of Pukahi and Schumacher running straightening angles back against the grain of the defense. Schumacher had a pair sandwiched around a Pukahi try, all of them in similar fashion. As the coaches began to clear the benches, the UV side didn’t let up Schumacher grabbing his last after recovering his own chip and getting a very fortuitous bounce that was completely misjudged by the Boise fullback. Another tight head scrum win saw quick ball out to the blindside and Tuakimoana had his second of the day before another Schumacher chip found replacement wing Jameson Bangerter all alone on the right touch line and Utah Valley’s final try of the day.

Utah Valley Lineout vs Boise State

Kicker Joe Carnation had a somewhat difficult day, converting only 5 of his 12 attempts, but the breezy conditions would have given many a kicker a tough time. His all-around effort around the park more than made up for the off day though and it was plain to see the prop’s leadership all over the paddock.

Head Coach Sam George was obviously happy with the side’s performance, but like all good coaches, found plenty to work on for UVU’s match the next day. “We came out today to make a point and I think we certainly achieved that. The forward effort today was really pleasing and you could see the platform that they were creating was giving the backs front foot ball and the opportunity to do what backs do and finish. If we can turn-around and put together another game like this tomorrow, I’ll be pretty happy.”

Utah Valley now faces Idaho State in the Utah Rugby Union Championship game at 12pm on Saturday the 19th in Boise after the Idaho State side beat a determined Snow College side in the days other semifinal.