Utah Warriors Reclaim #1 in League, Clinching First Western Conference Playoff Berth in Friday Night Win v Anthem

Sports stats



MLR Utah Warriors

Utah Warriors Reclaim #1 in League, Clinching First Western Conference Playoff Berth in Friday Night Win v Anthem

June 2, 2025 - Major League Rugby (MLR)
Utah Warriors News Release


The Utah Warriors became the first team in Major League Rugby's Western Division to clinch a playoff spot on Friday with a 31-10 win over Anthem RC.

It's the first time the Warriors have clinched a postseason spot since 2021 with both players and coaches pausing to recognize the accomplishment after the win.

"The guys have done an amazing job," said Utah Warriors Coach Greg Cooper. "This year we worked really hard in the preseason after a disappointing season last year, and it's nice to be in this position."

As has often been the case this season, Utah jumped off to an early lead against Anthem with Joey Mano dotting the ball down in the try zone in the 10th minute for an early 5-0 lead.

"He's been a phenomenal player for the Warriors," Cooper said of Mano who logged his 50th cap with the Warriors on Friday. "He's a great guy and a great team man, and there's really a strong connection on this team. They're working hard for each other."

About five minutes later saw Dylan Nel with a try to push the lead to 12-0. Anthem responded with a penalty kick before Cole Semu finished off the first half with a try courtesy of an offload from Mano for a 17-3 lead after 40 minutes of play.

Utah continued its strong play for the final 40 minutes, with Tonga Kofe scoring a try in the 46th minute and Nic Benn topping off the scoring in the 66th. Cooper was overall pleased with his team's effort, which ushered forth a typically strong start, but also the type of strong finish that has proved elusive on a few occasions this season.

"We've been getting off to good starts normally," Cooper said. "...and then we did enough to make sure they didn't get back into the game."

It was a strong performance for the entire 80 minutes, although Cooper did note it wasn't quite perfect.

"We left a few out there, and that's no disrespect to Anthem," Cooper said. "That's one of the things as a coaching staff that we'll work on. We need to take advantage of our chances against LA next week."

With the win Utah improves its record to 10-5 on the year and will have a chance to earn a home playoff game with either a loss by RFC Los Angeles on Saturday or a win vs Los Angeles the following Saturday in the Warriors' regular season finale.

It's a position Utah hasn't been in for quite a while, leaving Bailey Wilson, who has been with the club since 2020 jubilant, but focused on the task at hand.

"We try not to get ahead of ourselves. The focus is week to week, and we have a big game coming up against LA," Wilson said. "But we're thrilled to have this win for us to get one step forward toward our final goal."



Major League Rugby Stories from June 2, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central