Seattle Seawolves

Seattle Seawolves

Founded	2017; 7 years ago (2017)
Location	Tukwila, Washington
Ground(s)	Starfire Sports (Capacity: 4,500)
Coach(es)	Allen Clarke
Captain(s)	Riekert Hattingh
Most caps	JP Smith (92)
Top scorer	AJ Alatimu (321)
Most tries	Riekert Hattingh (39)
League(s)	Major League Rugby
2023	Conference finalist 2nd (Western Conference)
1st kit 2nd kit
Official website
seawolves.rugby

The Seattle Seawolves are an American professional rugby union team based in Tukwila, Washington. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby (MLR), the top-level rugby union competition in the United States that began play in 2018. The Seawolves won two MLR championships in 2018 and 2019, and lost in the 2022 final. They play at Starfire Sports, a 4,500-seat stadium in Tukwila that primarily serves soccer teams.

History

The team was founded in 2017 by an investor group headed by Adrian Balfour and Shane Skinner.^[1] The Seawolves won the inaugural MLR Grand Final in 2018,^[2] and defended the title in the 2019 Major League Rugby Championship. In the final on June 16, 2019, the Seattle Seawolves defeated San Diego Legion 26–23 at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego.^[3]

Stadium

A Seawolves game at Starfire Sports in 2022

The Seattle Seawolves play at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.^[4] The team offered 1,800 season tickets for their inaugural season, which sold out prior to the first match.^[5] In 2024, Seawolves team president Tom Barden stated that the team was "in discussions" to move to the redeveloped Memorial Stadium on the Seattle Center campus. The stadium is planned to be rebuilt with a capacity of 6,500 to 8,000 seats.^[6]

Broadcasts

Home games for 2019 were shown on Root Sports Northwest, an AT&T SportsNet affiliate.^[7] Dan Power and Kevin Swiryn were the on-air talent.^[8]

Kit history

Home 2018–19

Away 2018

Away 2022–

Home 2023–

Sponsorship

Season	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor	Other Shirt sponsor(s)
2018–2019	XBlades	None	None
2020	Paladin Sports	Krusteaz	None
2021–2022		WaFd Bank	None
2023			Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Tukwila (ExperienceTukwila.com)

Players and personnel

Current squad

For player movements before and during the 2024 season, see List of 2023–24 Major League Rugby transfers § Seattle Seawolves.

The Seattle Seawolves squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:^[9]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union Peter Malcolm Hooker United States DaQuan Perry Hooker United States Joe Taufeteʻe Hooker United States Jackson Zabierek Hooker United States Koby Baker Prop United States Dewald Donald Prop South Africa Kellen Gordon Prop United States Olive Kilifi Prop United States Sam Matenga Prop New Zealand Cameron Orr Prop Australia Mason Pedersen Prop United States Chance Wenglewski Prop United States Jean Droste Lock South Africa Rhyno Herbst Lock South Africa Taylor Krumrei Lock United States Isaia Lotawa Lock United States Mahonri Ngakuru Lock New Zealand Monate Akuei Back row Kenya Reid Davis Back row Canada Charles Elton Back row New Zealand Pago Haini Back row United States Riekert Hattingh (c) Back row United States Neal Moylett Back row Ireland Kara Pryor Back row New Zealand Huw Taylor Back row England

Player Position Union Ryan Rees Scrum-half United States JP Smith Scrum-half United States Rhys Jones Fly-half United States Mack Mason Fly-half Australia Sam Windsor* Fly-half Australia David Busby Centre Ireland Dan Kriel Centre South Africa Tevita Kuridrani Centre Australia Tavite Lopeti Centre United States Lauina Futi Wing United States Conner Mooneyham Wing United States Toni Pulu* Wing Niue Jeremiah Sio Wing United States Jade Stighling Wing South Africa Duncan Matthews Fullback South Africa Divan Rossouw Fullback Namibia

• Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
• * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
• MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Head coaches

• Tony Healy (2018) did not take up post due to visa difficulties
• Phil Mack (2018) ^[10]
• Anton Moolman (2019) did not take up post due to visa difficulties ^[11]
• Richie Walker (2019)
• Kees Lensing (2020–April 2021)
• Pate Tuilevuka (May–June 2021–)
• Allen Clarke (May 2021–)

Captains

• Riekert Hattingh (2018–present) 

Records

Season standings

Season	Conference	Regular season										Postseason
		Pos	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/−	BP	Pts	Pld	W	L	F	A	+/−	Result
2018	—	2nd	8	6	0	2	232	188	+44	5	29	2	2	0	61	43	+18	Won Semifinal (San Diego Legion) 38–24 Won Major League Rugby final (Glendale Raptors) 23-19
2019	—	2nd	16	11	1	4	498	407	+91	12	58	2	2	0	56	40	+16	Won Semifinal (Toronto Arrows) 30–17 Won Major League Rugby final (San Diego Legion) 26-23
2020[a]	Western	4th	5	1	0	4	138	162	-24	4	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	Cancelled
2021	Western	5th	16	4	0	12	343	461	-118	10	26	-	-	-	-	-	-	Did not qualify
2022	Western	4th	16	9	0	7	435	354	+73	6	46	3	2	1	104	76	+28	Won West Conference Eliminator (San Diego Legion) 43–19 Won West Conference Final (Houston SaberCats) 46–27 Lost Major League Rugby final (Rugby New York) 15-30
2023	Western	2nd	16	12	0	4	509	348	+161	11	59	1	1	1	69	36	+33	Won West Conference Eliminator (Houston SaberCats) 37–26 Lost West Conference Final (San Diego Legion) 32-10
2024	Western	2nd	16	11	0	5	498	373	+125	13	57	3	2	1	69	73	-4	Won West Conference Eliminator (San Diego Legion) 30–28 Won West Conference Final (Dallas Jackals) 28-25 Lost Major League Rugby final (New England Free Jacks) 11-20
Totals			93	54	1	38	2,653	2,106	+547	61	283	12	9	3	359	268	+91	5 postseason appearances

Notes

1. 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Honors

• Major League Rugby
  • Champions: 2018, 2019
  • Playoff appearances: 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Western Conference Championship (playoffs): 2022

2018 season

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
April 22	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 39–23
April 28	Glendale Raptors	Home	Lost, 15–19
May 12	New Orleans Gold	Away	Won, 31–29
May 20	Utah Warriors	Home	Won, 41–32
May 27	New Orleans Gold	Home	Won, 55–26
June 2	Houston SaberCats	Away	Won, 20–7
June 8	Austin Elite	Away	Won, 20–19
June 16	Glendale Raptors	Away	Lost, 11–33

Postseason

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
June 30	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 38-24
June 16	Glendale Raptors	Neutral	Won, 23–19

2019 season

Exhibition

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
December 22 (2018)	Crimson Tide	Away	Won, 48–7
January 5	SFGG	Away	Won, 45–0
January 17	Seattle Saracens	Home	Won, 74–3

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
January 27	Glendale Raptors	Home	Won, 20-18
February 2	San Diego Legion	Away	Lost, 13-17
February 10	New Orleans Gold	Away	Lost, 31-41
February 17	Toronto Arrows	Home	Won, 35–30
February 24	Rugby United New York	Home	Won, 33-21
March 10	Houston SaberCats	Home	Won, 27-14
March 16	Austin Elite	Away	Won, 29-17
March 31	San Diego Legion	Home	Lost, 22-28
April 5	Utah Warriors	Away	Won, 48-36
April 13	Houston SaberCats	Away	Won, 52–10
April 21	New Orleans Gold	Home	Won, 25–24
April 28	Toronto Arrows	Away	Lost, 7-29
May 11	Rugby United New York	Away	Won, 38-31
May 18	Glendale Raptors	Away	Won, 53-36
May 26	Utah Warriors	Home	Draw, 27-27
June 2	Austin Elite	Home	Won, 38–26

Postseason

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
June 9	Toronto Arrows	Home	Won, 30-17
June 16	San Diego Legion	Away	Won, 26–23

2020 season

On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic.^[12] It was cancelled the following week^[13]

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
February 9	San Diego Legion	Away	Lost, 24–33
February 16	Old Glory DC	Away	Lost, 22–28
February 22	Toronto Arrows	Home	Lost, 17–39
February 29	New England Free Jacks	Home	Won, 44–29
March 7	Utah Warriors	Home	Lost, 31–33
March 15	Rugby United New York	Away	Cancelled
March 21	Houston SaberCats	Home	Cancelled
March 29	Colorado Raptors	Home	Cancelled
April 4	Austin Gilgronis	Away	Cancelled
April 12	San Diego Legion	Home	Cancelled
April 25	Utah Warriors	Away	Cancelled
May 2	Houston SabreCats	Away	Cancelled
May 10	Rugby ATL	Away	Cancelled
May 17	New Orleans Gold	Home	Cancelled
May 24	Colorado Raptors	Away	Cancelled
May 31	Austin Gilgronis	Home	Cancelled

2021 season

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
March 20	Houston SaberCats	Away	Lost, 24–30
March 28	LA Giltinis	Away	Lost, 26–57
April 10	Utah Warriors	Away	Won, 20–15
April 17	Toronto Arrows	Away	Lost, 7-52
April 25	Austin Gilgronis	Away	Lost, 15-42
May 2	Rugby United New York	Home	Lost, 23-21
May 9	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 21-15
May 16	Old Glory DC	Away	Lost, 18-22
May 23	Rugby ATL	Home	Lost, 6-25
June 6	Utah Warriors	Home	Lost, 28-29
June 13	New England Free Jacks	Away	Lost, 21-25
June 20	Austin Gilgronis	Home	Lost, 31-36
June 27	LA Giltinis	Home	Lost, 14-29
July 3	San Diego Legion	Away	Lost, 21-34
July 11	New Orleans Gold	Home	Won, 30-6
July 15	Houston SaberCats	Home	Won, 40-21

2022 season

Exhibition

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
January 22	Seattle Rugby Club	Home	Won, 76-8
January 28	Hartford Harpooners	Home	Won, 50-0

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
February 6	Toronto Arrows	Home	Won, 21-8
February 10	Utah Warriors	Home	Won, 20-17
February 20	San Diego Legion	Away	Won, 31-28
February 26	Austin Gilgronis	Home	Lost, 25-18
March 4	New Orleans Gold	Home	Lost, 25-24
March 12	Houston SaberCats	Away	Lost, 21-19
March 19	Dallas Jackals	Away	Won, 34-12
March 26	LA Giltinis	Home	Lost, 12-31
April 9	New England Free Jacks	Away	Lost, 22-24
April 16	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 34-32
April 23	Utah Warriors	Away	Won, 20-14
May 1	Austin Gilgronis	Away	Lost, 6-17
May 8	Dallas Jackals	Home	Won, 74-7
May 15	Rugby United NY	Away	Lost, 22-30
May 27	Houston SaberCats	Home	Won, 43-36
June 5	LA Giltinis	Away	Won, 35-27

Post season

See also: 2022 Major League Rugby playoffs

Round	Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
West Eliminator	June 12	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 43–19
West Conference Finals	June 18	Houston SaberCats	Away	Won, 46–27
MLR Championship	June 25	Rugby United NY	Away	Lost, 15–30

References

1. "Seattle has a brand new sports team". KIRO 7 News. September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
2. Arthur, Ben (May 16, 2019). "The driving force of the Seattle Seawolves". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
3. "'I can't explain this feeling': Seawolves repeat as Major League Rugby champions with try as time expires". The Seattle Times. June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
4. "About the Seattle Seawolves". Seattle Seawolves. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
5. Saul, John (April 13, 2018). "Seattle's hottest new startup is no tech company: Get to know the Seawolves and professional rugby". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
6. Morgan, Rick (November 6, 2024). "New Memorial Stadium draws interest from potential sports tenant". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
7. "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY'S SEATTLE SEAWOLVES EXTEND TELEVISION PARTNERSHIP WITH ROOT SPORTS". www.seattleseawolves.com. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
8. "San Diego Legion at Seattle Seawolves". IMDb. March 31, 2019.
9. "Seattle Seawolves". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
10. "Seawolves win first game as pro rugby makes Seattle debut". The Seattle Times. April 22, 2018. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018.
11. "Anton Moolman new Head Coach of Seattle Seawolves". Americas Rugby News. September 9, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2018.
12. Anonymous, "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS," www.majorleague.rugby, March 12, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020
13. "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.

External links

• Official website