Seawolves Sign Scrumhalf Nick Boyer

Scrumhalf Nick Boyer carries the ball during a Houston SaberCats match. Boyer is joining the Seattle Seawolves for the remainder of the 2025 season. Credit: Davey Wilson

Seeking reinforcements with injuries taking a toll on the roster as of late, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of scrumhalf Nick Boyer on May 10.

Boyer, who had been unsigned this year so far, is a journeyman MLR player, having played in every season from the league’s inception in 2018 until 2024. With Seawolves scrumhalves JP Smith and Brock Gallagher sustaining injuries in last week’s match against RFC Los Angeles, the team brought on Boyer to fill out the roster.

Before joining MLR, Boyer got his rugby career started at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California, before joining the rugby program at University of California, Berkeley – where he played from 2011 to 2016. He was part of both Sevens and Fifteens play at Berkeley and won collegiate championships in both versions of the game.

Boyer started his MLR career for the San Diego Legion in 2018, playing in all eight games that season and notching six starts and a try. Also in 2018, he earned a USA Eagles cap in a test match against Romania on November 17, playing eight minutes during the Eagles’ 34-3 victory.

Still with the Legion, Boyer had 17 appearances in 2019 (11 starts) and gathered six tries – including one in the 2019 MLR Final, though the Legion lost that game to the Seawolves, 26-23. He then went to the American Raptors for the 2020 season, but the COVID pandemic and the Raptors’ exit from MLR kept his season short. 

Though the Raptors left the competition, Boyer stayed in MLR, with a short stint on the LA Giltinis before becoming a Houston SaberCat for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons. He had four tries in 13 appearances (11 starts) in 2021, but became more of a substitute in the following two seasons – though he still racked up five tries combined over 2022 and 2023. He moved back to San Diego for 2024, where he made nine appearances and one start.

According to Seawolves head coach Allen Clarke, the decision to sign Boyer was made as a result of injuries to both the team’s scrumhalves, JP Smith and Brock Gallagher. He also indicated that he intends to pair Boyer with Rhys Jones, a halfback in his second year with the team.

With Seattle’s season on the brink and the team’s starting scrumhalves on an uncertain timetable, Boyer will have to be on his A-game for his time with Seattle to try to help the team sneak into the postseason.