Warriors Hold Opportunity To Go 3-0 For First Time In Club History

HERRIMAN — Utah Warriors winger Joe Mano may be running out of celebrations, and that’s a good thing.

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Mano has shot out of the gate in impressive fashion, scoring five tries in just two matches played, each of which features a specific celebration in the try zone.

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“He had three different celebrations for each try and he must practice them,” said Utah Warriors Coach Greg Cooper in the wake of Mano’s hat trick outing during Utah’s 55-21 over the NOLA Gold last week. “...He’s scoring so many tries, though, that he’s probably going to have to repeat some of them at some stage.”

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Scoring a bevy of tries isn’t a new thing for Mano.

During the 2023 season he scored 14 total tries, which was second in Major League Rugby that year while displaying a potent threat every time he touched the ball.

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But then injuries hit, not only Mano, but most of the Utah Warriors team in 2024, depressing his try total considerably.

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“It took him a while to get back and we never really got going last year,” Cooper said. “The wingers always thrive on the things working on the inside, and last year it didn’t work (well.) So it didn’t quite go for him.”

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Fortunately all of what ailed Mano appears to have been rectified and then some after two resounding Warrior wins to start the season. Mano appears healthy, but perhaps just as important Utah’s attack is working in concert and effectively in delivering the ball to the outside with Mano being the primary beneficiary.

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And his opportunity couldn’t happen to a better guy.

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“I’ve coached a lot of players around the world and I really enjoy coaching Joe,” Cooper said. “He has a smile on his face, but he’s absolutely focused on what he needs to do. He rides the momentum of those on the inside.”

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But it’s not just scoring tries for Mano.

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“So he’s a very popular team man who works hard,” Cooper said. “Sure, he scores tries, but he chases kicks and the stuff you that’s the non-talented stuff. He works hard on the non-talented stuff — the stuff that actually makes a difference for the team.”

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And it’s not just on the field where Mano is making his presence felt.

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“He’s just a quality player, but he’s also a quality person,” Cooper said. “He’s a good team man and he’s great to have on the edge because he can score tries and he’s a good defender, but he deserves everything that’s coming his way at the moment. He’s worked really, really hard.”

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HOSTING HOUSTON

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The Warriors are set to take on what could well be considered their toughest test of the season when taking on the Houston Sabercats this Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium. Houston has proved one of the top teams in the MLR over recent years, displaying a physical brand of rugby that is tough to match.

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“One thing we know is that Houston will turn out with a physical game,” Cooper said. “We’ve gone and matched the opposition, and even bettered the opposition on the physical stakes, but any chance of winning against Houston that we’ll at least have to match them.”

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It’s never too early to look at the standings, and both Utah and Houston sit in second place in the Western Division with 10 points a piece. Sure, there’s 14 more games left in the season, but getting on top of the standings early can pay huge dividends.

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But it’s not going to be easy. It never is versus the Sabercats although Utah has had decent success versus them in the past having won six matches against six losses.

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Houston has been impressive so far this season, although Cooper believes it still has room for improvement, which could make for a particularly tough challenge.

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“They haven’t been at the absolute top of their game, but there’s been some blistering moments from them,” Cooper said. “They’ve started all their games well…So they haven’t played their total 80 minutes, but from No. 1 to 15 they’re players are really a quality side.”

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Utah has also struggled maintaining a high level of play for all 80 minutes, with both of its wins featuring particular luls following strong starts. Saturday’s presents an opportunity to fix that, along with other minor issues such as simply catching the ball effectively when it’s kicked deep in Utah territory — something the Warriors struggled with during last week’s win.

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“This is going to be a good test of where we’re at,” Cooper said. “We have a huge amount of respect for Houston.”

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