NEWS

Utah Warriors lose inaugural match against powerhouse Glendale Raptors but win with fans

SANDY — Ben Nicholls isn’t the kind of guy to get sentimental about sports.

But after he scored the first try for the Utah Warriors rugby franchise just shy of three minutes into the team’s inaugural match, he was overcome with gratitude.

“That was a highlight for me for sure,” said the native of Zimbabwe who now lives in Huntsville after the Glendale (Colorado) Raptors defeated the Warriors 43-15 Friday night in front 9,176 fans. “I’m not really an emotional guy. … I was just overwhelmed at that. We came out here, a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, and for us that crowd was just phenomenal. Utah, in general, does a great job of backing our sports teams, and that was overwhelming for us to just see that support coming out tonight. First and foremost, thanks so much to them. Hope they’ll stick with us. We’ll get better, guaranteed, and it will be a fun run.”