Austin Switzer

Joey Backe

Illinois front row Joey Backe played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2023. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

a native of Naperville, IL, just outside Chicago, Backe played as a Number 8 during his time at Western Michigan University and declared for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft where he was selected in the 1st Round, 9th Overall by the Utah Warriors. Backe signed with the Warriors for his rookie season and earned his debut in March 2022 against the Houston SaberCats. Backe earned a total of 4 appearances off the bench in the 2022 campaign.

He returned for the 2023 season and enjoyed a solid sophomore season, earning his first two pro starts in 8 further appearances for the Utah Warriors, completing tackles and running for 136m in possession. On 3rd July 2023, Joey Backe announced on Instagram that his time with the Warriors was over following that year’s MLR campaign. As of 2025, Backe had returned to Chicago and was playing club rugby with the SouthSide Irish.

Achievements

MLR Draftee: 2021 – 1st Round (9th Overall) – Utah Warriors

Jamie Lane

Emerson Prior

Canadian prop Emerson Prior played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

A native of Kingston, Ontario, Prior attended Trent University from 2016, playing rugby throughout and reaching the OUA Bronze final in 2019 before graduating in 2020 with a Nursing Degree. He was selected to the Canada U19s in 2016 and the U20s at the 2018 & 2019 World Rugby Trophy competitions. Prior was a part of the Toronto Arrows Academy Athletes program in 2020, before moving to Vancouver, BC to play with Canada’s high performance pathway side, the Pacific Pride between 2020-2021.

Prior was drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft, 37th overall by the Utah Warriors, and has represented them in every MLR season since. Prior has earned 32 MLR appearances (16 starts) in 3 seasons for the Warriors between 2022-2024, and set career highs in games, starts, tackles, and meters gained in 2024. On November 6th 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Emerson Prior for the 2025 MLR season.

Zion Going

US-Eligible New Zealand scrum-half Zion Going played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2022-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

The grandson of All Blacks legend Sid Going, Zion grew up in Northland, New Zealand. He played his club rugby with Mid Northern Rugby Club and played with the Northland U21 side in 2021, before moving to Australia and playing with the Tuggeranong Vikings in the ACTRU Premier Division. Going signed with the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2022 season and has represented them for 3 MLR seasons to date, scoring 4 tries in 34 games (16 starts).

On November 7th, 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Zion Going for the 2025 MLR season where he set career highs across the board as the Utah Warriors finished as the top regular season team. Going started both of the Warriors’ postseason games, helping the team earn their first ever playoff victory over the Seattle Seawolves, and in Utah’s Western Conference Final defeat to the Houston SaberCats. In total, Going scored 4 tries and started 15 of his 18 appearances for the Warriors, gaining just over 275m in possession and completing 114 tackles as a scrumhalf. He passed 50 MLR appearances during the 2025 season, all for the Warriors, and earned two MLR Team of the Week selections. For his performance, Zion Going was named to the All-MLR Second XV for the 2025 season. Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors from Major League Rugby in November 2025, Zion Going signed with Anthem RC on December 26th, 2025.

achievements

2025 All-MLR Second XV Selection
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 10
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 5

Tomasi Tonga

Utah local Tomasi Tonga played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Born in Hawaii but raised in Herriman, Utah, Tonga attended Herriman High School and was named a USA Under-17 and Under-18 All-American. He progressed through the Utah Warriors pathway and his performance for the Utah Selects in the fall of 2021 earned him a MLR contract for 2022, where he made his MLR debut and scored 2 tries in 9 games (6 starts). Tonga has represented the Warriors for 3 seasons between 2022-2024, scoring 3 tries in 18 games (7 starts) and racking up just over 600m gained in possession.

His game time was limited in 2024, but on 8th November 2024 the Warriors announced the return of Tomasi Tonga for the 2025 campaign.

Connor Burns

English wing/fullback Connor Burns played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors (2022-2023), and the Miami Sharks (2024-2025).

US-eligible through residency, Burns attended the rugby powerhouse Lindenwood University in Missouri between 2017-21, before being drafted in the 2nd Round (24th overall) of the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft by the Utah Warriors. In his debut MLR season he earned 10 MLR caps and 7 starts, one of only five of the 2021 Draft Class to earn 10+ MLR caps in the 2022 season. Burns also contributed 2 tries and 14pts in total. Across his 2 seasons with the Warriors he earned 11 MLR caps (7 starts) and scored 2 tries and 14pts.

On 18th September 2023, the Utah Warriors traded Connor Burns to the expansion Miami Sharks in exchange for 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). Unfortunately, Burns was ruled out of the entire 2024 season due to injury and did not feature for the Sharks in their inaugural season. On December 10th, 2024, the Miami Sharks announced the return of Connor Burns for their sophomore season in 2025, when he returned to the pitch in MLR. Burns scored 2 tries and started 4 of his 5 appearances for the Sharks in 2025, helping them to earn the first post-season appearance in team history. With the Sharks withdrawing from MLR following the season however, it is not yet known if Connor Burns will return to MLR for 2026.

Achievements:

2021 MLR Draftee: 2nd Rd (24th Overall) – Utah Warriors

Niall Saunders

Irish scrum-half Niall Saunders played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2024. He represented the Utah Warriors (2022-2023), Rugby ATL (2023) and Rugby FC LA (2024).

The English-born former Ireland u18, u19, and u20 scrum-half was signed by the Utah Warriors from English Premiership side Harlequins (after graduating through their academy system) ahead of the 2022 season, scoring 3 tries in 10 games (7 starts) for the Warriors in his debut season in MLR. After not appearing for the Warriors in the first half of the 2023 season, Saunders was traded to Rugby ATL on April 17th 2023 in exchange for 2023 Salary Cap Considerations. With the RATLers, Saunders earned an additional 7 appearances (3 starts) and scored 1 try.

Following the 2023 season, Rugby ATL & MLR announced that the franchise had been sold to new owners, and would be relocating to Los Angeles ahead of the 2024 season. This new ownership group included some crossover with Israel’s Tel Aviv Heat, with whom Saunders had played during the MLR off-season. Saunders moved with the team from Atlanta to Los Angeles, and was named Captain of the newly rebranded Rugby FC LA ahead of their first MLR season in 2024. Saunders scored 3 tries in 13 games (10 starts), and gained over 300m as a scrum-half as well as completing 73 tackles (his previous MLR best was 30 in 2022) as RFCLA recorded an admirable inaugural MLR season.

achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 4
MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 2

Caleb Makene

New Zealand fly-half/fullback Caleb Makene played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors (2022-2024) and the NOLA Gold (2025).

A former New Zealand U20 player, Makene brings plenty of experience to Utah, having represented the Tasman Mako (2016), Canterbury (2017-2018), and Hawke’s Bay (2019-) at the NPC level, and a cap for each the Crusaders and the Highlanders at the Super Rugby level. Since 2022, Makene has scored 12 tries and 98pts in his 44 MLR caps (all starts) since joining the Warriors.

5 of Makene’s tries came in the 2023 season where he also gained 1317m, placing him 5th in the league in this category. He recorded another 1000m+ gained season in 2024, with 1,021m gained in 12 games, finishing just outside the top 10 in Meters Gained, and scored 3 tries. Makene was a standout on a Utah Warriors side that struggled to find consistency in 2024, falling just outside the playoffs with a 5-11 record. In early September, 2024, the Utah Warriors included Makene in an announcement of 17 players departing the Warriors following the 2024 season. On November 17th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the addition of Caleb Makene for the 2025 MLR season. A stand out with Utah, Warriors fans will be wondering why the team couldn’t keep him. However, when the NOLA Gold announced their full roster on January 10th, 2025, it emerged that Makene would not participate in the 2025 season, instead staying in his native New Zealand where he was expecting his first child with his partner.