The Utah Youth Rugby season kicks off this weekend, with nine games on the slate.

Among those in action are Kau Toa and West Valley, both teams that have performed well come playoff time in recent years. But most eyes will be on United, which finished 3rd at the Boys HS Rugby National Championships last year, and are primed to maybe make it a step higher this year.

"The lague gets tougher every year," said United Head Coach Colin Puriri. "But we're kind of excited because this is one of our better teams. The attitude is really good, and we've already played five games and feel like we're in good early form."

Bailey Wilson, the team captain and one of the best young loose forwards in the game, has been in top form. United also has a big, imposing prop in Billy Tenney.

"He's one of the fastest players on our team," said Puriri. "He's faster than most backs."

United beat Red Mountain, Orcas, and Olympus in three shortened warmup games in St. George, Utah. They take on Provo this weekend, but the players know they ar chasing a higher standard, and will be thinking after every game how they stack up against the likes of Granite Bay, Danville, and Royal Irish and other top clubs around the country.

Utah Youth Rugby Boys HS games this weekend: