The Utah Warriors signed Emerson Prior for the 2022 Major League Rugby season. He was a third-round pick in the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft. The 23-year-old prop (24 in June) is 6’2″ and 255 lbs.
Emerson is from Kingston, Ontario, Canada. He attended Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School, graduating in 2016. He then enrolled at Trent University in 2016, graduating in 2020 with a Nursing Degree, as well as playing rugby. He helped the team to reach the OUA Bronze Final in 2019.
Emerson played for Canada U19s in 2016, and for the U20s at the World Rugby Trophy competition in 2018 and 2019. He also played for the Ontario Blues U19s and was part of the Toronto Arrows Academy Athletes program in 2020.
Prior joins the Warriors after moving to Victoria, British Columbia in 2020 to play with the Canadian National Development Academy, the Pacific Pride. He also played with the Pacific Pride in the 2021 Coastal Cup in the Fall.
Utah Warriors Comments
“We future-proofed our team in this 2021 Draft and added depth,” said Utah Warriors General Manager Brandon Sparks. “All of these players could appear next year in the top 23 but it is our organization’s goal to be patient and give them time to develop so they are successful. Our three selections exemplify our core values and have the tools to perform at this level and we are excited to welcome them to Utah.”
“Emerson was the steal of the draft in my opinion and we are excited to have him here in Utah and support his ambitions of being a Canadian international,” said Sparks. “There is no better place in North America to ply your trade as a forward than working with Shawn Pittman here in the beehive state. His size, return to action speed, film and interview impressed us and made it an easy decision to draft him here.”
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