Seawolves Break Century Mark Hosting Hartford Harpooners in Preseason
TUKWILA, Wash. - Before Major League Rugby, post-collegiate American rugby was a patchwork game. It still is, at least beyond the six teams that now make up the top echelon of the sport.
The Seattle Seawolves played host to a part of that patchwork on Saturday afternoon. The Hartford Harpooners, an amateur team from the other side of the country, flew over to Seattle for a preseason match as the Seawolves gear up for the 10-game regular season. This wasn't the Seawolves' first rodeo either of the preseason - they played the Stormers' second team in Cape Town on Sunday - or with the Harpooners, who they previously hosted in 2022.
Back then, with a more diffuse talent pool in the MLR, the Seawolves came out ahead 50-0 over their amateur opponents. Perhaps in a display of MLR’s talent jump since, Seattle won 111-3. Or maybe, as I’ll explain, it might have been 113-3.
Seawolves Players, Coaches Discuss American Rugby at Preseason Town Hall
SEATTLE, Wash. - One of rugby's most enduring traditions is that, when all is said and done and the 80 minutes are played, the sides mingle with each other over beer and pizza. The Seawolves' usual post-match stomping ground is Watershed FC, a pizza bar within the Starfire Sports complex where players can be found after a match, win or loss, chatting with each other and with the fans.
That same kind of environment existed in the Hall on Occidental on Wednesday evening as the Seawolves hosted their season ticket member town hall. Doors opened at 6:00 pm and it was not long before the fans began to stream through into bench seats beside wooden tables. The chats were cordial as always between the Seawolves and their fans to begin the evening as they waited for the main festivities to begin - those being, of course, a series of Q&A sessions emceed by Seawolves chief operating officer Drew Dambreville and some surrounding announcements.
Among all the festivities ran a through-line: that of developing the game of rugby in the United States.
Seawolves Announce Full 2026 Roster; How Does Depth Chart Look Going Into Season?
The Seattle Seawolves announced their full roster on Monday, March 2, with a total of 31 players set to compete in 10 matches across the 2026 Major League Rugby season. Of these 31 players, 12 are returners from the 2025 roster while 19 are newcomers from elsewhere in the rugby-playing world, both from other MLR teams and clubs around the world.
Some of these players figured out a deal with Seattle soon after the offseason started, while others were reportedly more last-minute. But with the number of sides and games reduced from 2025, so too is the number of players reduced, down from 38 to begin the 2025 season and 39 once the mid-season signing of Nick Boyer is taken into account. This new sizing is consistent with other rosters around the MLR this year, and these players have the benefit of greater protections thanks to the MLR’s first collective bargaining agreement being signed earlier this offseason between the MLR Player’s Association and the MLR.
With all that in mind, who are all the players that will don green and blue in Starfire Sports this season, and how might the Seawolves be looking at utilizing them?
Seawolves Offseason Tracker: Keep Up to Date with Arrivals and Departures for 2026 MLR Season
Despite an offseason to be forgotten around Major League Rugby, with the league shrinking from 11 teams to six, there is still a 10-game season ahead of the Seattle Seawolves and the five other remaining sides for 2026. Domestic talent has consolidated around MLR from the contractions as well as a new seven-player gameday limit for international players, though the decision - controversial, to put it mildly - to exclude Canadian players from domestic status has decreased that pool of players.
Seattle has a total of 30 confirmed signings for the 2026 season, 11 international and 19 domestic. 11 are returning players from last year’s Seawolves team while 19 are new additions, mostly from now-defunct MLR clubs.
Get to Know Dan Kriel—Longtime Seawolves Center Talks Life Story, Rugby, Charity
Seattle Seawolves center Dan Kriel has a certainly interesting life story, taking him from South Africa to Seattle over his rugby career. While he is looking to get back in peak form for the 2026 MLR season, his current attention is drawn to a charity with deep personal meaning.
Playoff Bound: Seawolves Clinch Fourth Spot in 42-17 Blowout Win vs. Sharks
The Seattle Seawolves clinched their once unlikely spot in the playoffs in the last game of the season on Sunday with a booming 42-17 victory over the Miami Sharks, setting up a date with Utah in the first round of the postseason.
Noa’s Ark: Season-Saving Last Minute Try Helps Seawolves Stun Legion in 29-25 Victory
The Seattle Seawolves won their second straight thrilling victory against a Western Conference team, this time against the San Diego Legion, their storied rival. The win sets up a photo finish in the Western Conference with three weeks to go.
Seawolves Score Nine Tries in 60-19 Carolina Barbecue
The Seattle Seawolves had a thundering victory on April 24 against Anthem Rugby Carolina, the first road win of the 2025 season for Seattle. However, there are rotation questions for their upcoming Sunday match.
Seawolves Grind Out 25-17 Win Against Anthem
The Seawolves struggled out of the gate on Saturday against a winless opponent, but the team fought back and put enough together to win the match and score four tries to get all five possible table points.
Charles Elton to Return Saturday Against Anthem to Win-Starved Seawolves
The Seattle Seawolves have started the 2025 season on a rough streak, going 1-4-0 and struggling to convert opportunities into points. With Charles Elton and Dan Kriel returning to the pitch, the Seawolves are hoping to best Anthem RC and get back on track in 2025.
Riekert Hattingh, Seawolves Seeking Coffee Cup Revenge in Home Opener
Struggling out of the gate to begin the 2025 season, the stakes will be raised for the Seawolves as they try to bounce back and get a little revenge at the same time in their home opener at Starfire Sports.
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