Seawolves Take Down Old Glory in Second Half, Move Up Table with Second Straight Road Win
The magnitude of the Seawolves’ 30-25 win on Mother’s Day afternoon might not have been immediately obvious. A three-game rut against Anthem, the Legion, and the Hounds early in the 10-game season meant that the team, just as in 2025, needed to put together a massive run to get back in the hunt.
Now, the situations weren’t identical. While Seattle needed to go on a big run just to make it back into a playoff spot by the end of the season in last year’s powerhouse Western Conference, the league’s contractions have resulted in a six-team MLR with four teams bound for the playoffs.’
The big prize, then - though a playoff spot can never be taken for granted - is the guarantee of a home playoff game. The Chicago Hounds, who won their sixth game of six on Sunday, are virtually guaranteed to be the top seed in the MLR, with 30 points in the table.
California is in second with 18 points. And after the Seawolves’ windy, rainy win against Old Glory DC on Sunday afternoon, they have 16. A home semifinal is well within reach.
Preview: Seawolves Host Undefeated Chicago Hounds, Need Old Mate Upset to Avoid Early-Season Hole
If there is any team that is an early favorite to win the 2026 MLR title, it is the Chicago Hounds. Over their first three matches, they have scored 131 points and given up 69 on their way to three convincing victories, and they’re the only team to get all five possible points out of each of their initial matches. The California Legion, who broke through an injury-knocked Seawolves side in the final minutes of the match last Sunday, found themselves out of their depth in their own road match against the Hounds. Seattle has the advantage of being the hosts, but it is still a tall task to take down what has clearly been the best team in the league during the first third and change of the 10-match MLR season.
Also on the line for the two teams is the Old Mate, officially known as the MLR Supporters Challenge Cup. The Old Mate comes from the very first MLR game ever played between the Houston SaberCats and NOLA Gold on April 21, 2018, and was taken by the Gold in their victory that game but then lost to the Austin Elite in the Gold’s following match. From then on, in an unbroken line of victors to the present, the Old Mate has gone from team to team in the manner of a boxing world title. While originally an unofficial title like the Raeburn Shield, the MLR formalized it before the 2026 season as the Supporters Challenge Cup.
According to the North American Rugby Database (NARDb), the Seawolves have held the Old Mate 20 times, with seven successful challenges against a Mate holder and 13 successful defenses of the Mate. The Seawolves last won the Mate with their Week 15 victory over the SaberCats last year, but were unable to defend the Mate against the Free Jacks in their following game.
Result Goes Gonzo in Cali, Bertranou’s Legion Power Through Seawolves in Final Minutes
Exhaustion and depth mean a whole lot in a rugby match. For almost 70 minutes on Sunday, the Seawolves went toe-to-toe with the California Legion on the road, withstanding the efforts of Gonzalo Bertranou, Billy Meakes, and Cassh Maluia and weathering their own propensity to penalties.
But in those last 600 seconds, the Seawolves - who had been forced by injuries to keep many of their forwards in for nearly the whole game - cracked under the relentless pressure. What was a one-point lead for Seattle became a 38-29 defeat, with the lone consolation being the four-try bonus point in the table.
Two Central Washington alumni notched inaugural tries during the first half as Seattle went out to an early lead.
One mistake in this game can go a long way for the other team. Through the first 13 minutes, the Legion threatened to score quite a bit, bringing the ball deep into Seattle territory twice as they pushed for quite a few meters after contact, as is their style. Early in the game with a ton of energy, however, the Seawall held firm even as they were pushed back to the brink.
Preview: Seawolves Seek Rebound Match against Merged Legion in San Diego
The very first game in Seattle Seawolves history was a battle in Starfire Sports against the San Diego Legion, kicking off the club’s oldest rivalry. Through the 2018 semifinal, the 2019 final, the 2022 quarterfinal, the 2023 Western Conference final, and the 2024 Western Conference semifinal, the two sides rumbled in elimination matches year-in and year-out. Seattle held the distinct edge in those matches, winning all but the 2023 Western Conference final.
The story of the San Diego Legion might be one of the more melancholy tales in MLR history, though its saddest notes came not on the pitch but in the MLR’s trip through Tartarus during last year’s offseason. The Legion merged with Rugby Football Club Los Angeles - a very bitter pill to swallow for San Diegans who have lost multiple pro sports teams to LA - and while the team adopted the Legion branding and went with a circuit of home matches around Southern California, the retention of mostly RFCLA players alongside continued RFCLA ownership made clear who the senior partner was.
And yet the Legion marches on. Over their first three games of the 2026 season, the merged California Legion have scored 93 points and given up 92, going 1-2 against Anthem, the New England Free Jacks, and the Chicago Hounds. But despite the razor-thin point differential, the Legion have yet to play a particularly close match. Anthem and Chicago both logged solid victories against the Legion, who in turn pounded the Free Jacks 43-5 at home.
Davy Coetzer, Seawolves Overcome Late Front Row Red in 33-16 Win over Old Glory
TUKWILA, Wash. - Before the 2026 season began, it wasn’t clear at all how the Seawolves stacked up against their five opponents. All the teams in the MLR consolidated talent from the folded teams, but as to the strength of each team as compared to each other, there wasn’t a whole lot to go off of besides conjecture. It was clear Anthem were majorly improved while the defending champion Free Jacks lost a grand total of 13 Canadian-eligible players and had a heap of general turnover. But with all the chaos, last year’s point totals, win totals, and point differentials weren’t the biggest thing weighing in the preseason projections.
In the first week, however, the team with a positive-38 point differential last year beat the team with a minus-40. Both sides had to work past some early season jitters, but with a new elite flyhalf in tow and the home turf grit to battle past a late red, the Seawolves logged the opening win under the Friday night Starfire lights.
Davy Coetzer had an excellent first match with the Seawolves, scoring 18 of Seattle’s 33 points.
A couple of Old Glory penalties in the early minutes led to offseason-acquired flyhalf Davy Coetzer’s first penalty kick of the season in the fourth minute. It was a relatively easy shot in windless conditions, but Coetzer shanked it a bit to the left and it bounced off the post into the visitors’ hands. That, along with a couple half-fumbles, was the only real mistake Coetzer made all match.
Previewing Seawolves Season, First Match versus Old Glory
With six teams remaining in Major League Rugby and 10 games upcoming for the Seattle Seawolves, what will this season look like for the league’s first champions?
For starters, the league’s big contraction over the offseason has concentrated remaining talent among the six teams, and further restrictions on international players have led to these teams having much more domestic rosters.
The shake-ups were no more apparent than when Anthem Rugby Carolina, who had gone winless in their first two seasons, notched a clean 39-26 victory on the road against the combined California Legion in the league’s first match on Saturday, March 28.
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?
Futi, Smith Called Up To USA Eagles
The USA national rugby team’s roster has been announced for summer 2025 play, and there are two Seattle Seawolves present. JP Smith and Ina Futi had strong years in 2025, and they have both been rewarded with roster spots on the USA Eagles for it.
Terrible Way to Lose: Seawolves Comeback Falls Short, Season Ends With 23-21 Loss to Utah
The Seattle Seawolves’ rollercoaster run came to an end on Saturday, as the team lost 23-21 in the Western Conference Semifinal. Seattle nearly made yet another late comeback, but the Warriors held on for their first playoff victory in team history.
JP Smith to Return For Seawolves in Second 2025 Coffee Cup
The Seattle Seawolves go on the road for a rivalry match against the New England Free Jacks, with playoff odds on the line for Seattle.
Seawolves Sign Scrumhalf Nick Boyer
With injuries to Seattle Seawolves scrumhalves JP Smith and Brock Gallagher happening last week, the team has signed a seasoned veteran to fill the void.
Seawolves Season Hangs by Thread After Friday’s 26-26 Draw vs. Los Angeles
The Seattle Seawolves walked away from a must-win game on Friday with an undesirable draw against RFCLA, and as a result, they face an uphill battle trying to get back to the playoffs with five contests left to play.
Gold Mine Blues: Seawolves Drop 44-36 Slugfest to New Orleans
On short rest with minimal rotation, the Seattle Seawolves fell 44-36 in a tough battle with the New Orleans Gold, with five yellow cards combined between the two sides.
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.
JP Smith to Earn 100th MLR Cap as Seawolves Take On Hounds
The Seattle Seawolves have thus far gone aground in their 2025 campaign and are looking to right the ship against the top team in MLR, while journeyman Seawolf JP Smith is getting his 100th cap.
Seawolves Bye Week: Lessons From First Seven Weeks of 2025 Season
The Seattle Seawolves have struggled out of the gate in the first seven matches of 2025. What has gone wrong, and how can the team recover in the nine remaining games of the season?
Bad Day in DC: Seawolves Fall 29-12 to Old Glory
Squarely beaten on a Saturday east coast road trip, Old Glory DC used their quicker offense and stouter defense to best the Seawolves 29-12. The match is another rough chapter in a season that is quickly falling through Seattle’s fingers.
Seawolves Short of Comeback, Utah On Top 30-27
The Seattle Seawolves had a hard-fought game against the Utah Warriors on Saturday, but one too many unforced errors led the pack to an unfortunate loss.
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