Utah Warriors storm past newcomers Anthem Rugby with 29 unanswered

HERRIMAN — Everything changed for the Utah Warriors in the 54th minute.

Joel Hodgson has a way of doing that.

Michael Manson, Nic Souchon and Frank Lochore each scored two tries, and the Utah Warriors used a 29-0 second-half run turn a 19-15 halftime deficit into a 44-19 win over Major League Rugby newcomers Anthem Rugby Carolina that snapped a two-match losing skid Friday night at Zions Bank Stadium.

But the match changed with the introduction of Hodgson, the 31-year-old flyhalf from Newcastle, England, who started the match on the bench and came off it forcing turnovers, flipping fields and tossing long-range dimes to set up one score after another.

"He's probably the most well-respected rugby player I've come across," Manson said of Hodgson. "He walks into a room, and he gets respect from everyone. He's a born leader, he's a good footy player, and he knows how to win a game. He's bloody handy to have on our team.

"He's a cool-headed man on the field, and that's what we need as a driver," he added. "He really showed up tonight."

Manson, the 22-year-old wing from Invercargill, New Zealand, is no slouch himself — even if slightly less experienced.

"He's got some wheels, that fellow. He can really run on those two legs of his," Warriors forwards coach Robbie Abel said. "It was really good for us to first get some game through the middle of the field, and then be able to get some space on the age. We're going to continue to look to do that. It was good for us to see."

The Warriors wasted little time putting the hurt on MLR's newest franchise, a team built on the foundation of USA Rugby's Hawks developmental side.

Souchon put Utah up 5-0 with a try in the third minute. But Shane Barry found space in the 13th minute for a try and Oscar Koller's conversion put the newcomers ahead 7-5.

Manson found space on a breakaway on the wing to dot one down in the corner as the Warriors regained the lead 10-7 in the 19th minute. But David Still pushed Anthem back up 12-10 with a man-down try just three minutes later.

Mika Kruse dived on a ball kicked to touch in the try zone for Utah's third try, pushing back ahead 15-12 in the 26th minute. But Still took a pass up the middle of the pitch in the 38th minute, and Koller's conversion kick lift Carolina to a 19-15 halftime lead.

The match changed on a dime, though, with the inclusion of a few second-half substitutions.

"The whole game was just about who wanted it more. It was pretty clear in the first half they wanted it more," Abel said. "It's a good thing we have mirrors in the changing rooms there; we took a good hard look at ourselves, and the boys turned it around. But take nothing away from Anthem; that's a bloody good team.

"They're going to be a hard team to beat every week, and they're going to get some teams. We didn't take them lightly through the week, but just as it is with every game, your prep is your prep and you have to show up and do your job on game day."

Moments after a line change that included the introduction of Franco Van Den Berg and Hodgson — who played over a decade in England's Premiership before joining the Warriors in 2022 — Utah pushed across a maul and Souchon dotted it down to push back ahead 20-19 in the 53rd minute. The Warriors never trailed again.

After two tries or near-scores were called back by video review, former BYU star Paul Lasike found Hodgson, who offloaded to Manson to go up 25-19 at the hour mark.

Dylan Nel added a try in the 73rd minute, and Hodgson's successful conversion kick — the first of the match for the Warriors — capped a 17-0 run. Lochore added a try two minutes later, and then punctuated the victory with a try in the 83rd minute.

Utah will travel to Arlington, Texas, next Friday, April 12, to face the Dallas Jackals. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MDT on KMYU and The Rugby Network.

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