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HERRIMAN — The return of standout wing Caleb Makene helped the Utah Warriors to one of their biggest wins of the 2024 Major League Rugby campaign.
Makene scored a try and set up another as the Warriors held off the San Diego Legion, 33-32 Sunday at Snapdragon Stadium to lift Utah to its first-ever road win over the Southern California side.
That it was Makene's first match since the season opener was not lost on head coach Greg Cooper.
"He really provided some great direction," Cooper said in a news release. "That's his first game back in some time, so to play 80 minutes in this stadium against such a good team — that was really impressive, and he's only going to get better."
Michael Manson scored two tries, including dotting one down in the corner to finish off a setup by Makene and an offload by Mika Kruse that lifted the Warriors (3-4, 18 points) to a 17-10 halftime lead.
Manson put on the burners for a second score in the 48th minute that pushed the Warriors' lead to 27-17 lead, and a yellow card helped the visitors stretch the lead to 30-17 before the hour mark.
Former Utah back Mikey Te'o pulled one back for San Diego (5-2, 26 points) with a scrappy try in the 56th minute, and the Legion scored 15 consecutive points to inch ahead 32-30.
But Joel Hodgson converted a penalty in the 76th minute fo put advantage back in favor of the away side, and Warriors captain Bailey Wilson forced a turnover in the final minute to seal the first-of-its-kind road win in San Diego.
"Our ability to get back and defend, and then at times steal the ball. … Our ability to (create turnovers) is a big thing for us," Cooper said.
Utah return homes Friday after a two-match road swing to host Old Glory DC. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. MDT at Zions Bank Stadium on FS1.
