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# Adjusted Seawolves Notch 28-22 Win Against Hounds
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/adjusted-seattle-seawolves-notch-28-22-win-against-chicago-hounds/
- Published: 2025-04-20T03:53:07.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:37:35.000Z
- Author: Callaghan Bluechel
- Tags: Seawolves, Allen Clarke, Ina Futi, Divan Rossouw, Riekert Hattingh, Rodney Iona, OJ Noa

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1280"\]

![  Seawolves center Dan Kriel battles a tackle during a match on March 29, 2025 against Anthem. After winning on Friday, the Seawolves face Anthem again on April 23, 2025, this time on the road. Credit: Punkus Arnett/Seattle Seawolves.  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/pz2_1379-jpeg-format-original.jpg)

Seawolves center Dan Kriel battles a tackle during a match on March 29, 2025 against Anthem. After winning on Friday, the Seawolves face Anthem again on April 23, 2025, this time on the road. Credit: Punkus Arnett/Seattle Seawolves. \[/caption\]

TUKWILA, Wash. - Back from the bye, the Seattle Seawolves may have saved their season with a much-needed win against the top team in MLR. On Friday, the Seawolf pack rode to a 28-22 win against the Chicago Hounds, remaining unbeaten in four games over three years against that opponent. Despite the visitors being heavily rotated – with seven top players out – the win is a statement that Seattle’s playoff hopes aren’t done yet, as the team showed significant adjustment and an offense that had more life than previous games.

The match was one part welcome reprieve from past games and one part déjà vu. The team was using much more of the pitch than previous games and looked far stronger on the rucks, but was constantly giving the Hounds turnovers and field position with knock-ons and offsides. The Hounds had most of the possession for the entire match and spent large amounts of time – a rather similar predicament to Seattle’s previous match against Old Glory – but for the first time this season, the Seawolves truly pounced on their opponents’ mistakes.

### Part Contender, Part Knock-on Machine, Seawolves Edge Forward in First Half

The Hounds put together a brief drive to open the match, winning a lineout in Seattle territory as the 4th minute began and phasing the ball down to the openside, where fullback Michael Hand II threw the ball to left wing Mark O’Keeffe along the touchline. O’Keeffe knocked the ball forward, however, ending the threat.

After a couple kicks for position, Seattle attacked the line at midfield and brought the ball across the pitch in a series of rucks before a Chicago penalty gave the Seawolves a kick from the midfield line. Rodney Iona opted to go for post and took the ball through the uprights in the 6th minute to give Seattle an early 3-0 lead.

In the ninth minute, Seattle struck again. As the visitors were phasing down the line, Seawolves right wing Ina Futi intercepted an absentminded pass from Hound flyhalf Tim Swiel and bolted downfield, dodging two would-be tacklers before offloading to outside center Divan Rossouw, who landed the ball in the try zone. Iona missed the conversion, so the home side was now up 8-0.

Much of the rest of the half, however, was reminiscent of the Old Glory game, as the Seawolves found themselves backed to their own posts for long swathes of gametime while knock-ons prematurely ended Seattle’s attempts at putting together attacking phases of their own. But even through this dry spell, the home side looked more dynamic and more dangerous than they had against the Flags two weeks prior.

Fittingly, it started with a penalty in the kickoff immediately following the try. Swiel took the kick to the corner lineout, where a Seawolf knocked it on to result in a Hound scrum. Chicago took it out of the scrum and brought it down the line, crashing forward through the rucks. The Hounds came close to the line in the 13th and brought it into pick-and-runs, though Seattle pushed the line back with the help of a strong tackle from lock Rhyno Herbst.

The Hounds finally pounced in the 14th minute as scrumhalf Michael Baska sent the ball down the openside through Swiel to O’Keeffe at the touchline, who found a hole and went through it into the try zone. Swiel missed the conversion, so the score stayed at 8-5.

The Seawolves got a brief bit of breathing room as the post-kickoff play consisted of kicks around midfield and some passing phases by the Hounds, but the visitors quickly brought the ball back to the red zone. Chicago took a 20th minute lineout to maul in Seattle territory and then phased through the line about ten meters out.

Seattle got another breakaway going into the hydration break, this time in the 21st by left wing Toni Pulu, but the Hounds caught up with Pulu and won a scrum around midfield (though Swiel was sent to the sin bin in the process). 

The Hounds once again brought it forward into the Seawall, ruck by ruck. The Seawall held strong for a minute, but as the pressure kept coming, the visitors crashed forward past the 22\. In the 24th, the Hounds won a penalty advantage and then brought it down the side for Hamish Bain, who attacked the goal line but lost the ball. With Swiel in the naughty chair, it was Baska who brought it through the uprights to tie the match in the 27th.

The Seawolves then had three promising attempts at an offensive drive that all ended prematurely. In the 29th, The Seawolves took a lineout into passing phases that found Rodney Iona, who broke between two Hounds – center Noah Flesch and wing Noah Brown – and charged past the 22\. But as Brown recovered and tackled the home flyhalf, the ball came loose and Chicago recovered.

After a distance kick to around midfield, the Seawolves attacked once more. They won the home lineout and brought it across the field for OJ Noa, who barrelled forward for several meters, before phasing down and back again. Home fullback Duncan Matthews connected with Rossouw and Pulu on a break that showed promise – but JP Smith knocked the ball on and Chicago won the scrum.

Seattle won a lineout after a distance kick and phased to the openside, where Matthews won a good chunk of meterage. But as the ball came back across, Herbst knocked it on – and so once again, Chicago had the scrum. 

This time, the Hounds won a scrum penalty and kicked for touch before taking the lineout into maul and barreling through the home pack into Seattle territory. The visitors bended the tired Seawall and got within five meters of the posts before winning a penalty and going for corner – but Seattle caught a break as Baska’s kick went past the goal line and Seattle won the ball. But Chicago quickly came back down into Seattle territory, crashing past midfield, winning a penalty, and taking a lineout at the 22.

Then, Seattle pounced, as Riekert Hattingh got to Janus Venter’s lineout throw and tipped it back for the Seawolves. Rossouw and Futi connected again for a 50-meter line break, this time with Rossouw charging up the distance and offloading for Futi. Though the Hounds caught up on that side, the home side quickly brought it back to the other, as JP Smith took the ball out of a ruck and sent it down the line through Iona and Noa to Hattingh, who ran into the try zone in the 38th. Iona made the conversion, and Seattle went into halftime up 15-8.

### Similar Story in Second Half, But Seawolves in Driver’s Seat

Seattle came out of the gate strong in the back 40 as they took a midfield lineout through to the openside, where Pulu won about ten meters with the help of Matthews. Chicago held as the home side brought across back and forth, but an offsides penalty gave Iona a kick just 20 meters in front of the posts. The Seawolf flyhalf brought it through the uprights in the 47th to bring the lead to 10.

TMO found that Swiel had made head contact with Matthews on a late tackle during the previous play, sending the visiting flyhalf off with a 20-minute red card. 

Despite being down a man, the Hounds came back off this with an attacking drive of their own. The visitors won a lineout in their own territory in the 50th minute and went through several ruck phases down the line, breaking forward slowly past midfield. The Hounds won a penalty and kicked for corner. Though Seattle stole the lineout, the home side immediately knocked it on to give Chicago a scrum just five meters from the try line.

In the 55th, the visitors won their scrum and powered out into phases, battling with Seattle’s aggressive defense in pick-and-go play. But at the end of the minute, Chicago cracked through the Seawall – captain flanker Lucas Rumball powered over the pile and dotted the ball down in the try zone. Backup Chicago flyhalf Chris Hilsenbeck took the ball through the posts to bring the score to 18-15.

In another bit of déjà vu, the next set of play recalled both the good and bad parts of the first half. Seattle came in strong off the kickoff, immediately bringing the ball into Chicago territory, crashing through the middle for some meters before going to the side for Ina Futi, who broke to the five-meter line, barreling through tacklers along the way. But the Seawolf wing knocked the ball on in the breakdown and Chicago had a scrum.

The visitors won their scrum and got distance on a kick, but an intentional knock-on by Chicago outside center Bryce Campbell gave himself a yellow card and Seattle a penalty. Iona once again opted to kick for post in the 61st and made his third penalty goal of the match going into the water break.

Playing 15-on-13, the Seawolves took advantage of bad lineout play by the Hounds and gave themselves some breathing room. Chicago had a lineout in the 61st, but Hattingh once again tipped it back to steal it for Seattle. Noa charged forward up the try line but fell into touch, giving the visitors another lineout – but Chicago substitute hooker Jackson Zabierek overthrew it and Seattle whipped the ball across to the openside, where inside center Dan Kriel dumped off to Rossouw, who went through Matthews to Futi, who broke past the line and dotted down his first try of the season in the 62nd. Iona made the conversion a minute later to bring the score to 28-15.

The Hounds were not dead yet, as they put together a strong drive in response, taking advantage of two Seattle not rolling away penalties to drive at the goal. The visitors took a lineout to maul and then crashed forward in the rucks before winning a penalty and bringing it to the corner. Chicago won the lineout and went into a couple of rucks before another penalty and another lineout five meters away from the try line. 

But the Seawall held, and Chicago committed a penalty of their own to give Seattle the ball. The ball went back and forth over the next few minutes – with Zabierek missing another lineout – but Seattle got the ball in the 73rd in Chicago territory and put together another drive. Futi won meters in a ruck and offloaded to Matthews, who charged forward another ten meters along the try line before being tackled

But yet again, the Seawolves hindered themselves with discipline. With open meters ahead of him on the openside break, flanker Devin Short bobbled the ball forward. Seattle again brought the ball into opposing territory after a distance kick by Chicago – this time settling into the typical middle-focused offense – but a not releasing call gave the visitors a penalty that they took into a lineout in Seawolf territory. 

With time of the essence, Chicago rapidly struck, bringing the ball down to the openside before Campbell sent it to Baska at the touchline. Baska charged downfield and then dumped the ball off to Jason Higgins, who landed the ball into the try zone in the 77th. Hilsenbeck made the conversion to bring the Seawolf lead to six.

Despite the late rally from Chicago, the game remained that way for the last few minutes with the Seawolves up on the Hounds 28-22.

### Seattle Capitalizes on Absent Chicago Cerberus

Coming into the match, Seattle had a full week of rest, while Chicago was just five days out from playing Anthem Rugby Carolina. The visiting side was heavily rotated, with three powerhouse forwards – hooker Dylan Fawsitt, lock Mason Flesch, and flanker Maclean Jones – completely unavailable. Each head of the Cerberus has five tries on the season, and the trio averaged 82 tackles over the team’s first eight games.

Fawsitt, the hooker, was especially missed by the Hounds. Seattle took advantage of bad lineout throws by Venter and Zabierek to steal four lineouts from the visitors, one of which directly resulted in a try going Seattle’s way. But the big tacklers Flesch and Jones were also a key absence for Chicago, as Seattle’s points came off breakaways, a rare fact both for the home side’s offense and for the visitors’ defense. The Chicago forward pack was still formidable, with the starters weighing in at 2045 pounds (compared to Seattle’s 1957), but the Seawall held firm most of the time against the shorthanded Hound attack.

Chicago was also playing with several backfielders unavailable. Scrumhalf Mitch Short, flyhalf and fullback Adriaan Carelse, inside center Ollie Devoto, and wing Nate Augspurger were all absent. This was perhaps less impactful to Chicago’s game in some respects, as Baska – other than an overshot corner kick – played well at scrumhalf, while O’Keeffe and Brown did their job on the wings – but in other areas, this was definitely a hindrance for the visitors. Devoto, with his ability to charge forward both in open play and in contact as well as his volume of tackles, is a strong MLR center, and his tackling presence near the touchlines was something the Hounds needed on Friday. 

But it may have been Carelse who was missed the most in the Hounds backfield. It must be said that the Hounds – oddly for a championship contender – have had something of a flyhalf-by-committee during the 2025 season, with Swiel, Carelse, and Hilsenbeck all getting starts. However, Swiel’s play left a lot to be desired, both on the ball and especially in his disciplinary issues, getting a yellow and a 20-minute red. 

### Beast Mode Offense

With former Seahawks star running back Marshawn Lynch in attendance after joining Seattle’s ownership team, the Seawolves looked far stronger on the carry than they have all season. Head Coach Allen Clarke clearly instituted a new attacking strategy, as he Seawolves used the wings of the field more and relied on the outside backs to churn meters on the breakaway rather than using the team’s size in the middle. 

However, the Seawolves did not entirely cede the middle, as Hattingh, Noa, and Herbst all had notable gains on central ruck crashes. This versatility kept the visitors on their toes and prevented them from adjusting to one style of play.

Seattle’s forward pack changes also appeared to work in their favor, as OJ Noa looked stronger as a lock than he had at flanker, Pedersen manned the tighthead position well, and in the second half, Chance Wenglewski and Njabulo Gumede formed a solid prop pair.

But it was the backfield formation that shined for the Seawolves. Rodney Iona was strong off the tee, landing five kicks out of six, and even better in open play. JP Smith, who earned his 100th MLR cap on Friday, was solid as usual, while Dan Kriel continued to shine at inside center. The outside back connection was truly stellar, with Rossouw, Matthews, and Futi forming a powerhouse trio that could bring the Seawolves dozens of meters at any given time, while Pulu also slotted in strongly. 

### Winning Despite Errors

Despite the newfound life in the attack, the Seawolves still made numerous mistakes on the ball, with several times as many knock-ons as the Hounds and committing eleven penalties to the visitors’ five. The knock-ons especially were frustrating, as many came inside the 22 on the heels of powerful line breaks.

The fact that the knock-ons did not define the attacking play – as they had two weeks prior against Old Glory – showed the promise of Seattle’s revamped offensive style. The Seawolves had enough gas in the tank to lose multiple drives to knock-ons and still come out on top against the top team in MLR, though in a close game against a rotated side.

Another key to Seattle’s success was that the team took the points when they had the chance. Despite the Hounds only committing five penalties, the Seawolves utilized them well, with Iona kicking for post three times and making all three of his penalty goal attempts. Contrast this with Chicago, who – despite getting many more opportunities for the boot – opted mostly for corners and contesting the Seawall at the try line. The ability to kick for post was downstream from the revamped offense style, as the prowess on line breaks allowed Seattle to forego corners as the only means of meterage.

### Quick Turnaround Coming Up

The Seawolves’ next game is on Wednesday, April 23, on the road against Anthem. Both sides will be coming off short rest, as Anthem also played Friday, losing to the New England Free Jacks and dropping to 0-9-0 on the season. Seattle, meanwhile, improved to 3-5-0 with 19 table points, though they are still last in the Western Conference.

Despite the quick turnaround, the game against Anthem will be a must-win match for Seattle, as the team is still in the hole and needs to take the chances they are given. The Seawolves did that well enough during play on Friday, but will they continue it for the rest of the season? There’s no question the upset win over the Hounds could be the turning point needed.