Utah team wins high school rugby national championships

High School boys rugby. Photo: Philippa Rose-Tite

HERRIMAN, Utah. — On Sunday, Herriman High School won the national rugby championships against St. Ignatius from Cleaveland, OH. First-ranked Herriman beat second-ranked St. Ignatius 21 – 17 in Kansas City, MO.

Elvis Hanson, who hails from New Zealand, is Herriman’s head coach. He was promoted to that role right before the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID. “I told them all year long we have the x’s and o’s. We just had to have the belief,” Hansen said to KSL.com’s Sean Walker.

“I was stupid enough to think we could win a national championship, but because I’ve been around sports all my life and I knew you first have to paint the vision,” Hansen said to Walker. “If you don’t have the vision, you can’t expect the boys to follow you.”

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‘The Barker brothers’ contributed to this win as well as other wins historically. The family has had at least one brother participate on the team for the last ten years. The Barker brothers’ parents, along with their proud principal, were among the community members lining the street in Herrima for a parade welcoming home the winners complete with a flashing-lights police cruiser and a vehicle from the Unified Fire Authority. 

This national tournament title is the first in Herriman High School’s history.