The Majestics are heading to the Utah Youth Rugby Girls’ High School Championship against United this Saturday at Salt Lake City’s Regional Athletic Center. The final’s berth is a first for the two-year-old team, but sister coaches Angela Tuiaki and Jenny Sika are the link to a long-dormant senior club that is providing the structural and spiritual support for the current generation.
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More than 10 years ago, Tuiaki and Sika formed the Majestics as a senior club for women. The team lasted for one brilliant year before players left for college, LDS missions, life, but it was such a positive experience that many alumnae got involved with the more recent creation of a high school team under the same name. Tuiaki and Sika started mobilizing for a high school program in 2019 and today has senior Majestics alumna Brittany Lolohea and retired rugby player Tonga Ika on the coaching staff. Former Majestics player Deesha Wolfgramm leads the board of directors, which is lined with former teammates.
“They make things happen,” Tuiaki lauded the work behind the scenes.
When player recruitment began, the adults were pleased to find a population ready and willing to play, and numbers have never been an issue, even through Covid-19.
“It’s like that movie. ‘If you built it, they will come,’” Tuiaki quoted Field of Dreams. “I think they’ve been looking for it for a long time. Boys’ rugby has always been big around here but the girls are on a roller coaster – up and down.
“A lot of girls who play rugby don’t fit the model of an athlete – for volleyball, basketball – but rugby needs all sizes to fill the team. So they find their place in this community,” the coach continued. “We teach them coming in: This is a space where the world can’t tell you who you are; you tell the world who you are.”
The Majestics start spreading that message at the U14 level.
“Because that’s the age you’ve got to capture them for rugby,” Tuiaki said. “Otherwise, you lose them to other sports. The girls that we have at the high school level, though, this is their first exposure to rugby.”
There’s no competition for the U14 girls right now but UYR Girls High School Commissioner Carson Mellott indicated that there’s a push to focus on that age group this summer. So the 7th and 8th graders are allowed to practice with the high schoolers and even fill in for 2nd side games if the comfort level is there.
Utah was able to play 7s in summer and fall 2020, but there was a big question mark as to whether teams could field 15s teams in the Covid-19 era. A five-team competition evolved, with Brighton and Wasatch combining. East and Kearns had 7s teams, so each 15s team had a 7s triangle mixed into the schedule. The Majestics drew attention early, defeating United 20-5 in the teams’ mid-March opener and then repeating the win, 36-31, a month later.
Captain Lesa Puletau leads the way.
“She’s been with us since the beginning and has a real quiet dignity,” Tuiaki said of the senior pack leader. “She’s soft spoken, but speaks strongly, and always takes the time to teach her teammates. … We call her our Teflon player because no one can actually take her down; she slips through. She’s not very tall but she’s built for prop.”
In the backs, watch for flyhalf Krystal Tupou, who was selected to the Utah Cannibals team that finished runner-up at the Tropical 7s in Orlando.
“She is really up and coming,” Tuiaki said of the flyhalf. “Her game IQ, together with her speed and her hands, that sets her apart from a lot of great players. We’ve gotten word from a lot of coaches about what they see from her and how much they would love her on their teams, as well as tips on how to get her into more rugby.”
The Majestics get a nice punch from football duo Nala Mayorga and Hiva Kinikini as well. Mayorga has a demeanor like Puletau and has good IQ and hands. She’s big on dodging the defense and has the footwork to be effective, but the coaching staff is helping her discern when it’s time to evade or charge forward. Kinikini is a senior but in her first season of rugby.
“She’s our ‘Little Diesel’ because she can power through any forward pack that’s standing in front of her,” Tuiaki said. “Her legs are made to plow over players, but she doesn’t just rely on her size. She knows what’s in her body and how to use it. She has good IQ, too, and can hit the gaps and create plays from the tip off her pod.”
In the younger classes, sophomores Honey Hamilton and Lilli Wolfgramm stand out. Hamilton is a verbal leader in the pack and a great communicator. Wolfgramm is the scrumhalf and able to control the game, impressing the staff with her smart play calling.
In the penultimate week of the regular season, Brighton-Wasatch beat the Majestics 34-27, serving the top-rated team its first loss of the spring. After a forfeit win against Provo, the Majestics lined up against Brighton-Wasatch for the May 1 semifinals.
“Honestly I feel this is a really good team and they’ve really built into the finals. But that loss to Brighton-Wasatch, that was something we needed to go through as a team first,” Tuiaki spoke to the value of a loss. “After that, we just had to reassure them of who they are individually. That week of practice was a lot of repetition, a lot of questions – ‘Do you know why we did that?’ – until they realized they knew what they were doing and it was up to them to perform it at the end of the week.”
The coaches then informed the players that they were going to be silent on the sidelines during the semifinal. They wouldn’t yell instructions onto the pitch because they believed in the players’ ability to win on their own.
“No matter whether we won or lost, they were going to find themselves in that game,” Tuiaki said. “After the game, the girls thanked us so much for trusting them and their judgment. That win last week was all theirs.”
The Majestics beat Brighton-Wasatch 41-24 in Saturday’s semifinal, while United defeated Provo 27-22 for the championship berth. The team came out of that game with more self confidence and a stronger team bond, and that’s the platform for more growth and success.
“Every week we always teach them something different,” Tuiaki said. “This week it’s that they have a community that is trying to make their dreams come true. [Monday] is our first practice back and it’s letting them know that people have always been there, even if they’re seen or not. Our community of Majestics goes back 10 years and we have alumni who are coming out this week to show them: You don’t stand alone. There is always someone there before you to hold you up. It’s so much more beautiful when you see where you come from.”
The state championship occurs Saturday, May 8 at 1 p.m. MST. United is the long-time reigning champion and the standard for the state, and the Majestics know what awaits them.
“The biggest thing we always tell our girls: Your best game is a respectful game. Give them 100% of what you have inside of you,” Tuiaki said. “United has been the top team and our measuring stick. We understand who they are and know they’re coming for the championship. But this week is all about the Majestics players, and they deserve to be here and play this game.”
A state title against a formidable opponent would be a lovely end to a season, but Tuiaki continues to reference larger goals and purposes as new experiences present themselves.
“We went through a lot of individual lessons in the build-up to the championship,” Tuiaki closed. “I’d say 70% of the girls come from home without two parents, and they can fall by the wayside. We created a space for them to be themselves, and what they bring to the team, that’s what we help them build on. Whether it’s their brain, or field vision, or communication – we take their strength and build on it. They love the game more because of the team camaraderie we’ve built with them.”
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