Utah Warriors Win Home Playoff, Western Conference Final up Next

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Utah Warriors Win Home Playoff, Western Conference Final up Next

June 16, 2025 - Major League Rugby (MLR)
Utah Warriors News Release


A fast start out of the gates, a big penalty kick down the stretch along with two enormous defensive stands allowed the Utah Warriors to get past the Seattle Seawolves 23-21 on Saturday.

Their reward is a berth in the Major League Rugby Western Conference Championship round, where the Warriors will host the winner of Houston versus RFC Los Angeles.

‚¬Â "This feels unreal," said Warriors Hooker Liam Coltman. "The boys put in an awesome shift tonight, worked together and got by. We made some crucial plays when it mattered and did what it takes."

‚¬Â Coltman was central in Utah's key defensive stands.

‚¬Â The first came on the final possession of the second half, with Utah holding a big 17-0 lead as Seattle looked to parlay some momentum into the break. But the Warriors held firm, holding the Seawolves just a few meters short of the try zone, ultimately forcing a penalty to keep the commanding 17-point margin at the break.

‚¬Â "It was a hell of an effort," Coltman said of the defensive stand. "It was something we've worked on all week, so I was really proud of how the boys came together there."

‚¬Â About 40 minutes later saw Seattle threatening again with Utah clinging to a two-point lead late. A miss-executed lineout by Seattle led to a Utah scrum, which it ultimately ran the clock out with due to solid execution.

‚¬Â "To take out a scrum like that to finish out the game was huge," Coltman said. "The defense against the maul was awesome, and all of it was huge for the boys tonight. This is a great moment for us."

‚¬Â "I thought our defense was really outstanding today," added Warriors Coach Greg Cooper. "I thought our first half defense was superb. We didn't chase rucks...I thought we left some tries out there, but we have to be happy about it."

‚¬Â Another big key to Utah's win was building a big 17-0 lead early.

‚¬Â Leading off the scoring was Jordan Trainor, dotting the ball down in the try zone courtesy of an outstanding run and offload from Kyle Brown in the 11th minute. About 20 minutes later saw the two again combine for a try for a 17-0 lead which Utah held onto into the halftime break.

‚¬Â "He's playing so well and we're really lucky to have JT," Cooper said of Trainor. "...And I thought it was a tremendous performance from Kyle Brown. He's been out for two months, and he's played no rugby, so we gave him just 40 minutes because it was all we could get out of him today, but he was outstanding."

‚¬Â Brown was replaced in the second half by D'Angelo Leuila, who again proved enormous kicking the ball. With just 14 minutes remaining, he again unloaded a kick with seemingly ease just short of midfield to give Utah a big 23-14 lead.

‚¬Â "It's great having him with us. He's pretty amazing with how he can kick it from 40 meters out," Coltman said.

‚¬Â Seattle scored two tries in the 47th and 58th minute to get back into the match, with the first one coming by virtue of a penalty. Cooper was direct in stating he didn't believe a penalty try should have been rewarded in that situation, adding that he'll be certain to review the call.

‚¬Â "They got that penalty try and really got some momentum out of it," Cooper said. "Again, I'll look at it, but we sort of put ourselves in positions where we let them back into the game. It was always going to be a tough game...But we worked hard and showed courage and now we're in the conference final."

‚¬Â The conference final match will take place at Zions Bank Stadium next Saturday with Utah taking on the either the Houston Sabercats or RFC Los Angeles.



Major League Rugby Stories from June 16, 2025


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