Rugby League Shines at the Alofa Faʻasāmoa Festival

There are match days, and then there are match days like this one. For Round 2 of the Hopoate Cup 2026, the Utah Rugby League took the game to the Alofa Faʻasāmoa Samoan festival at South Ridge Park in Taylorsville, a fair way from the usual home patch at Burgess Park in Alpine. Rugby league and Samoan culture share deep roots, and playing under the flags and the music made for one of the best atmospheres of the season so far.

A huge thank you to Nikki and everyone at Utah Rugby who helped pull the fixture together on festival grounds, and to the crew behind the Alofa Faʻasāmoa celebration for sharing their stage. Days like this are why we do it.

On the field, the Bluffdale Rabbitahz found top gear early and ran out 74 to 14 winners over a Lehi Raiders outfit that never once dropped its head.

Bluffdale find their rhythm

Bluffdale were sharp from the first whistle. Inside the opening minutes Kome T. had already crossed twice, and with the boot warming up he set the tone for a big night. Peni P. powered over soon after, and the Rabbitahz built a healthy lead by the water break.

The bench made a difference too. Sosaia L. came on and made an instant impact, the first of three tries he would score on the day. Kelemete F., Drew B. and Tee S. all added to the tally before the interval, and Bluffdale carried real momentum into the second half. Timote H., Lebron R., Kobe R. and Dwyane R. each got on the board as the game went on, and Kome T. finished nearly flawless off the tee.

Credit where it is due. Bluffdale moved the ball with confidence and backed each other up all over the park. You can see more of them at Bluffdale Rabbitahz.

Lehi keep swinging

Here is the part the scoreline does not tell you. The Raiders never stopped competing. Out of the break they lifted, and it was Samuel M. who got Lehi on the board with a well-taken try. Moments later Elijah T. was over, added the extras, and just like that the Raiders had strung together ten unanswered points and a bit of belief.

Elijah T. was Lehi’s livewire all evening. He grabbed a second try to finish with a brace and a conversion, ten of his side’s fourteen points, and the kind of effort a team builds around. Around him the Raiders kept turning up for each other right to the final whistle, which is exactly what you want to see this early in a season.

Lehi also had to dig in a little shorthanded. Sam L. came off in the first half after a non-contact fall left him holding his left knee, and late in the game Alema I. stayed down and was checked over by the trainers for a left shoulder. Everyone at URLA wishes both players a quick and full recovery. Battling on through that says plenty about this group. Follow their season at Lehi Raiders.

How the points came

Bluffdale crossed for fourteen tries on the night. Sosaia L. grabbed a hat trick, Kome T. and Kelemete F. bagged two apiece, and Peni P., Tee S., Drew B., Timote H., Lebron R., Kobe R. and Dwyane R. all dotted down. Kome T. was superb off the tee with nine conversions for a personal haul of twenty six points.

For Lehi, Elijah T. scored twice and slotted a conversion, and Samuel M. crossed in the second half.

The full player-by-player box score — every try, kick, and point, live from the league’s game day system — is just below in Full match stats.

We are only getting started

Remember, this was only Round 2. There is a long summer of rugby still ahead, and plenty of footy left to play across the competition. If you have ever thought about giving rugby league a go, now is the time to jump in.

The Lehi Raiders and the Riverton Seagulls are both actively recruiting right now, and they would love to hear from you. You do not need any experience. Turn up ready to learn and the rest takes care of itself.

Fill out the interested player form and we will connect you with the right club. You can browse every side on the teams page, or go straight to the clubs building their squads at Lehi Raiders and Riverton Seagulls. Want to see what is coming up next? Check the full season schedule.

Thank you to our league sponsors

This match report is powered by Ghost Zero Systems, our league technology and media partner. The website, the media distribution, the online registration, and the live game day stats tracking that make write-ups like this one possible all run on the platform they built for the URLA. Everything you just read, from the scoreboard to the scorers, comes straight from that system.

None of the rest of it happens without the businesses that back Utah rugby league either. Our thanks this season go to Safe and Sound Pianos, our league title sponsor, along with Neighborhood Barbers, Amplifico Marketing, Catering by Bryce, Eberhard Photo, In Roam Outfitters, Kiwi Tu Meke Bites, Seki Construction, Sina HQ and Top Notch Movers. Match-day photos come courtesy of our photography partner, Eberhard Photo.

Want the full season picture? The live league table and player stats update as results come in, and every approved player has a profile with their season and career numbers. If your business wants to get behind the league, take a look at how sponsorship works.