Franco Van den Berg Reaches 50 Caps

On Saturday, March 18th, Franco Van den Berg became the thirty-fourth player in Major League Rugby to appear in 50 matches. Franco Van den Berg (Warrior #41) played Rugby while attending Hoërskool Randburg and again when he moved on to the University of Pretoria. His aptitude for the sport was recognized very early as he would play in the Blue Bulls system and appeared in the U19 Currie Cup and U21 Provincial Championship. While at the University of Pretoria, Van den Berg competed in the varsity cup with the UP Tuks. In addition, he represented South Africa at the 2016 Junior World Championship.

Photo by Davey Wilson

Van den Berg joined the Utah Warriors in the 2019 season. Following the 2019 MLR season, he was named to the All-MLR Second team. To date, in his MLR career, he has scored 5 tries, made 271 ball carries, has 1,734 meters run, made 327 tackles, and 519 ruck arrivals.

Photo by Davey Wilson

Major League Rugby is honoring the first 50 players to reach 50 caps and their role in building the legacy of MLR. The latest of the first thirty-four players to accomplish 50 caps for MLR includes Billy Stewart and Pat O'Toole of NOLA Gold, and Josh Larsen of the New England Free Jacks. Stay tuned for more announcements as players reach the 50 caps milestone, and cement their spot in Major League Rugby’s history.