Written by Joe Harvey | Photo by Davey Wilson
After Gavin Thornbury's seven years with Connacht Rugby ended last summer, he contemplated the end of his professional rugby career.
Nine months later, the lock forward is captain of a resurgent Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby.
The 31-year-old was one of several senior players who came to Herriman in the offseason to help the year eight club back to Play-Off rugby.
For the majority of his career, Thornbury spent his time in his native Ireland with Connacht in Galway after joining the Leinster Rugby Academy. Aside from brief spells in New Zealand and England, he relishes a whole new life across the North Atlantic.
The former Ireland U20 international spent his vacations visiting major cities in the USA to see friends who had emigrated and a country he was obsessed with.
Photo by Davey Wilson
"It was the chance to play in America," Thornbury said. "When MLR started, I always had an eye on it to see how it was going.
"Playing over here and getting to live over here has always been attractive.
"When I finished at Connacht, I didn't know what I was going to do. I was half thinking about retiring, and then my agent asked if I would go to America. I spoke to my wife, and we were both pretty keen on it.
"Then Utah got on and said they were looking for a lock. I had a chat with Coops (Greg Cooper, head coach) and Wayne (Tarawhiti, Director of Rugby) and they were really honest about how last season had gone and their vision for this year.
"They were really excited, and it sounded like the perfect fit. Once I chatted to them, I was sold on the idea. It was a no-brainer, really."
Thornbury arrived in Utah after two months with the Northampton Saints.
He played six games for the Gallagher Premiership Rugby champions and prepared for his maiden MLR campaign alongside a hotbed of rugby talent.
In a short space of time, Utah head coach Greg Cooper liked what he saw in the Irishman and appointed the forward as his captain ahead of their season-opening 45-31 win over the Chicago Hounds.
Photo by Tequila Graphics
"I was very grateful to be asked," Thornbury said. "To be honest, there are so many leaders in that team; it's more of a placename than anything else.
"We have got vast experience in Liam Coltman, Jordan Trainor, Dylan Nel and Aki Seiuli, and experience all over the board with Joel Hodson and D'Angelo Leuila.
"It's not like I've had to really step up in the leadership department, there's lot of leaders here and I was just really grateful to be asked.
"It's been really good. I haven't really captained before. I did it in Connacht once or twice but never had the full captaincy role. It has been a learning experience.
Photo by Davey Wilson
"It has been great, and I've had to learn on my feet, but it has been a lot of fun and I am delighted to be doing it."
After beating the Hounds, Utah beat the NOLA Gold and Miami Sharks but lost 37-17 against the Houston SaberCats at Zions Bank Stadium.
https://twitter.com/usmlr/status/1895976082194776235
In the team's most recent outing, Zion Going and Jordan Trainor both scored two tries in their 36-19 win over the Sharks at Baptist Health Community Field as Thornbury and his teammates bounced back from their Week 4 loss.
It is a start to the season that dramatically contrasts with the end of their 2024 season.
Last year, the Warriors were eight points from playing knockout rugby as the finest of margins took the hunger for winner-takes-all rugby to new heights.
Thornbury is one of a number of crucial arrivals to Cooper's squad, along with ex-All Blacks hooker Liam Coltman, Samoa fly-half D'Angelo Leuila, former NOLA center Jordan Trainor and journeyman prop Aku Seiuli.
Buying into the Utah Built mentality established by the coaching panel, which was reinforced by hiking up mountains and preseason at Warriors HQ, the team have a sole goal in mind.
Photo by Davey Wilson
"There obviously has been a bit of a rebuild," Thornbury said. "There are a lot of players that are new this year.
"I came in a little bit later than everyone else, but the connections were here when I arrived.
"You could see everyone was enjoying being in and around the building. Everyone bought into what the coaches were saying.
"We have tried to continue that as we went into the season, which has been great, but it is a lot easier in preseason because there is no selection and no results.
"Now there are games the mood of the camp changes. We just try to go back to that Utah Built philosophy and try to keep our connections. The group are doing it really well."
Entering Week 6 and a clash with the Seattle Seawolves, the Warriors are second in the Western Conference.
Level on points with the SaberCats, who have inflicted Utah's sole defeat so far in 2025, a trip to Starfire Sports Complex and the division's fourth-place team invites plenty of potential for the visiting team to further their cause.
Absent from the postseason since 2021, the Warriors' start to 2025 indicates a team with a clear desire to end that knockout rugby drought.
Throughout the 18-week regular season, Thornbury will be the face of that campaign, both as the team's captain and the key in the forward pack.
"Every team I have been in wants to win the competition that we are in," Thornbury said.
"Ultimately, that's what we want to do. How we get there, there are obviously different markers along the way that we have to hit.
"You need to get a Play Off spot, a home Play Off spot would be ideal, so that's what we are looking at.
"You can't look too far down the line. We're very much focused week-on-week.
"I think as a playing group we've committed to each week presenting a new challenge.
"I have found myself preparing for teams that I have never prepared against.
"Each week you need to be on your game, so we talk each week about a new challenge and what we're trying to focus on."
This Sunday, the Utah Warriors take on the Seattle Seawolves in the Match of the Week. Watch live in the USA on ESPN+ and on The Rugby Network worldwide.