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Logan Tago will be back in a Utah Warriors shirt for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The powerful outside back spent the past year with the USA Sevens squad. Also confirmed by the club are the returns of prop Emerson Prior, lock Jamie Lane, center Tomasi Tonga, and winger Joe Mano.
A former professional football player, Tago played four games for Utah as a replacement in 2021. The 25-year-old, who can play center or wing, then impressed enough in the Premier Rugby Sevens competition to earn a spot on the Eagles. He played in four World Sevens tournaments this past season.
Prior played seven games in his first MLR campaign, including four starts, after being selected in the third round of the 2021 Collegiate Draft. The 24-year-old loosehead spent time in New Zealand during the off-season and was recently selected for the Canada ‘A’ squad in the Americas Rugby Trophy.
Lane, a former New Zealand u20 representative, joined the club in 2022 from Auckland and started six games at lock but then suffered a season-ending injury. The 26-year-old is now back to full fitness and was again a starter for Auckland during the recent National Provincial Championship.
Another 24-year-old, Tonga enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in his first season as a professional. He played nine games with six starts in 2022, using his 230-pound (104kg) frame to punch holes in the midfield. He will look to take another step up under the tutelage of Eagles star Paul Lasike in 2023.
Mano, 27, recovered from a long-term knee injury to play another seven games in his second season with the Warriors. The explosive winger, who has represented the American Samoa 7s side, scored a remarkable seven tries to lead the team despite missing over half the campaign.
