Warriors Captain Bailey Wilson Praises Rugby Fans In Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Warriors are out of playoff contention after this weekend’s loss to the Chicago Hounds, but team captain Bailey Wilson still thinks the team had a great season.

He discussed how well the team has played at home this year.

“Overall, I think we’ve had a great season so far, especially our home games. Our home-field advantage has been superb,” Wilson told Jeremiah Jensen of KSL Sports.

The Warriors have one match left this season. They wrap things up on the road this weekend in New York against the Ironworkers.

Gave it our all. #ForTheNation pic.twitter.com/GugeCVEwqg

— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) June 11, 2023

This year’s team hopes to get to ten wins, a big improvement over last season’s 5-11 record. Jensen asked Wilson about what factors contributed to that quick improvement.

“The new head coach Greg Cooper has made a huge impact right from the start and then I think collectively the whole team and the whole organization brought a lot more energy from day one,” Wilson explained.

Utah Rugby Crowd

“Hands down, best venue gameday atmosphere in North America. Best fans. They know what’s going on,” Wilson said of Utah Warriors fans, “It’s probably one of the toughest places to play.”

Fans are a big reason the Utah Warriors enjoy such a hefty home-field advantage.

“You’ve got the fans yelling at you. You’ve got the altitude and then you’ve got 15 angry Warriors running straight at you,” Bailey said.

"Rugby has taught me some of my deepest life skills…"

Bailey Wilson is #UtahBuilt

Watch his full story here: https://t.co/kRBbFJhPO2 pic.twitter.com/arMj7U6Wux

— Utah Warriors Rugby (@utwarriorsrugby) June 1, 2023

Growth Of Major League Rugby

Wilson has been in Utah for four years now, and for three of those years, he has been captain. He talked about the growth of rugby and Major League Rugby in the United States.

“The growth in the four years I have been here has been phenomenal. I think it has grown a lot faster than anyone thought it would, which is great,” Wilson commented.

He said the key to continuing this level of growth is focusing on getting youth involved with the sport from a young age.

Next Up For Utah Warriors

This weekend the Warriors take on the Ironworkers this Sunday at 1:00 MT. You can watch the game for free on KSLSports.com or the KSL Sports app. Download the app here or visit the desktop stream here.

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You can watch the full interview with rugby star Bailey Wilson above.