Utah Warriors clinch playoff berth with win in Joey Mano's 50th cap

HERRIMAN — Before Friday night's kickoff of the Utah Warriors' penultimate match of the 2025 regular season, Joey Mano fielded requests from more than 30 friends and family to make it to Zions Bank Stadium to celebrate his 50th cap in Major League Rugby.

The celebrations didn't end there.

Mano was one of five try scorers as the Warriors cruised by second-year expansion outfit Anthem Rugby Carolina 31-10 to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2021 in front of a sold-out Zions Bank Stadium.

"Scoring tries is kind of what I've been doing, but a playoff berth and winning a game on my 50th cap is what I really wanted," Mano said before he was mobbed by teammates after the match. "I guess the boys put in the work and did that for me, the whole team, and the whole organization — especially the fans who came out tonight."

Dylan Nel, Tonga Kofe and Nic Benn each added a try, and former BYU All-American Cole Semu scored his first professional try as the Warriors (10-5, 53 points) jumped out to a 17-3 halftime lead and never looked back.

But it all started with Mano, who caught an offload pass from Joel Hodgson in the 10th minute and easily dotted it down in the corner to give Utah a lead it would never relinquish.

Fitting for the league's co-leading try scorer from two years ago who has been with the Warriors since 2021 — the last time Utah made the postseason, before losing in the Western Conference finals to the now-defunct LA Giltinis.

Since then, the Warriors went 5-11 in 2022 and missed the playoffs with a 10-6 record a year later before falling back to 5-11 last year. An offseason overhaul across the roster set up significant expectations for Utah, which accomplished the first of its goals Friday night with a second straight win after stopping a three-game slide May 24 in New Orleans.

At the center of it all has been Mano, the club's scoring rock from Hawaii with two appearances for the United States' national team.

"He's been a phenomenal player for the Warriors, a great guy and great team man," Utah coach Greg Cooper said of Mano. "There's been a really strong connection on this team; they're working hard for each other. It's all back on the line next week, but we've put ourselves in a good position."

After Mano's initial try, Nel scored under the post for an automatic conversion, and Semu scored his first in MLR in the 23rd minute after an offload pass from Mano.

After Liam Coltman's try off a lineout was overturned by video review en route to Utah's 14-point halftime advantage, Kofe converted a try under the post for an automatic conversion and a fourth-try bonus point to go up 24-3.

"It was a good start, and if they got a sniff they would've been really dangerous," Cooper said. "We did enough to make sure they couldn't get into the game."

Utah kept Anthem (0-15, 5 points) out of the try zone until Dan Hanson dotted one down in the 70th minute to cut the visitors' deficit to 31-10 on Mitch Wilson's conversion kick.

But the damage was done as the Warriors became the first team from the Western Conference to clinch one of four playoff berths from the division's five teams.

They'll clinch a home playoff game with either a loss Sunday by Rugby Football Club Los Angeles, or a win in next Saturday's regular-season finale against the same club (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN+).

So playoff berth aside, the Warriors aren't done yet.

"I think these fans deserve a playoff (match) at home," Mano said. "The job's not done. We've still got a lot of work to do."

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