Terrible Way to Lose: Seawolves Comeback Falls Short, Season Ends With 23-21 Loss to Utah
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Seawolves scrumhalf Nick Boyer battles Warriors center D’Angelo Leuila during Seattle’s 28-24 win on May 12, 2025. The two teams played again on Saturday in the Western Conference Final, but Seattle came up short. Credit: Davey Wilson/Utah Warriors. [/caption]
You can’t dance through the raindrops forever. Although the 2025 Seattle Seawolves had an exciting run of late win after late win during the second half of the season, the team’s problems caught up with them in the Western Conference Semifinal. Slow to get going and with persistent problems in the set pieces, the Seawolves attempted a late-game comeback – but a bad lineout throw a few meters out from the goal line in the 77th minute ended the game for Seattle.
Ina Futi – in at left wing for Toni Pulu, who was a late scratch from the lineup – played all 80 minutes and scored two tries, while another was awarded to the Seawolves as a penalty try. Utah’s points came from a brace by fullback Jordan Trainor and three penalty goals, two from impact center D’Angelo Leuila and one by starting flyhalf Joel Hodgson.
Seattle Shut Out In Dicey First Half
To say the Seattle Seawolves had a rough first half was an understatement. On the ruck, the team held on too long, suffering not releasing penalties and getting taken by counter-rucks. Three of Dewald Kotze’s lineout throws went into the hands of Utah, one of which was quickly landed for a Warrior try a few seconds later. Utah’s line held stalwart against the Seawolves – completely in the middle, where none of Seattle’s crashes went forward, but a little more loosely on the side. This gave the Seawolves a couple chances on the try line, but each one ended without the ball finding the zone. The defense barely kept the team in the game, but Seattle entered the sheds down by a hefty 17 points and with none of their own on the board.
Seattle had a first minute lineout around midfield that led to some early phases for the visitors. Utah won the ball back on a counter-ruck, taking advantage of the Seawolves’ slowness on the ruck to start their own run of crashes in the third minute. Joe Mano immediately broke free of the line on the left, but Seattle right wing Jade Stighling kept the pressure on him long enough to force his attempted squib kick to go through the goal and become a goal line dropout for Seattle.
The teams traded kicks for position before Jordan Trainor sent a kick to touch around midfield, and the Seawolves had a lineout. But Utah prop Aki Seuili charged forward and took it, and it looked like the Warriors had a strong attack brewing – but Seuili did not release the ball on the breakdown, and so Seattle had a penalty kick to touch.
The lineout was shaky, but JP Zeiss retained possession and the Seawolves began a brief run – but then it was Seattle with a penalty on the breakdown and Utah had a lineout at Seattle’s 22. Coltman’s throw was good and the Warriors briefly mauled before scrumhalf Zion Going took it out and the home side took it to the openside and then back.
Seattle took a penalty and then Utah took the kick within the 22, with their first threat to score. The lineout was somewhat shaky for the Warriors, but they retained possession. The Seawall held the Warriors in check during the ninth minute, but the home crew inched forward. Hodgson nearly broke through and then Trainor. Utah flanker Bailey Wilson had an excellent opportunity to go to the try line at the touchline, but he dropped the ball into touch.
The Seawolves had a lineout five meters out from their own line – but again, the lineout was errant, going high and right to Liam Coltman. Although Seattle held Coltman back, the Warriors went to the openside for Jordan Trainor, who dove into the corner of the try zone in the 11th minute. Hodgson sunk the conversion, and it was 7-0, Utah.
Hodgson sent it to touch after the kickoff and the Seawolves had another lineout in the 13th minute, this time keeping possession. Player after player tried to crash past the Warrior line before Iona sent a box kick, but it went too far and Hodgson called the mark before sending a kick to touch just shy of a 50-22. Still, the Seawolves had a lineout in their own territory, needing to keep it good.
But it was stolen away and went down to the openside for Joe Mano, who had a good opening to dash past Matthews for a try – but he dropped the ball forward and Seattle recovered before scrumhalf JP Smith kicked to touch. Utah had a brief run of phases before Hodgson attempted a squib kick for Mano, but it went through the end of the goal and Seattle had a scrum.
The 18th minute set piece was clean and Seattle charged forward up the openside, making it nearly to the 22 meter line. A squib kick meant for Matthews was recovered by Utah, but Seattle immediately took it back in the 19th. Now, the Seawolves had a run at the try line.
But it ended just after it began due to a penalty on the breakdown, and so the Warriors had a kick to touch in the 20th minute to end the chance going into the first water break.
But this time it was Seattle that stole the lineout away, and they immediately resumed their attack on the red zone. Utah’s defense was stalwart, and although the visitors spent a minute showing at the 22 meter line, the home side recovered the ball and kicked it forward, winning space and then possession – briefly, before Seattle got it back.
Then Utah got dinged for a dangerous tackle and Seattle had a penalty kick, but it failed to reach touch, so Utah kicked it back and Seattle’s lineout was just in front of midfield. Devin Short barreled to the 22 meter line in the 24th minute and the Seawolf attack sped up. Eddie Fouché found an opening – sending a squib kick for Futi to charge after – but it went a little too far forward and Futi was unable to get it before it went through the goal, so the ball went back to a previous advantage.
A knock-on by Seattle gave Utah their first scrum of the game in the 27th minute. A trade of kicks gave the Warriors a lineout in their own territory. The home side took a deep kick, which Matthews was in place to receive – but he knocked it on. Utah had another scrum at the Seattle 22 meter line. A late tackle resulted in a penalty right in front of the posts, which Hodgson took through the uprights in the 31st minute. Utah led, 10-0.
Another Seattle mistake came a couple minutes later, as Matthews lost the ball on the breakdown during a run up the blindside touchline. Before the Seawolves could set themselves on the openside, outside center Kyle Brown broke the line and passed to Trainor after a few meters. Trainor easily launched into the try zone in the 32nd, and Hodgson converted to make it 17-0.
The Seawolves had a run of phases that pushed a few meters from where it started, but Seattle again suffered in the ruck, with a not releasing penalty sending the ball the other way. The 36th minute lineout from Coltman was good, but an opportunity to cement a monster first half slipped away from Utah with a knock-on. Seattle had a scrum in the 38th before both teams traded possession while trying to get space with short kicks, and then the Seawolves had a lineout.
The driving maul inched forward before the Seawolves tried to kick away, but it resulted in a Utah lineout. Then the Warriors tried to go through the phases but lost the ball, and Seattle raced forward with a breakaway from Stighling after being set up by Matthews.
The Seawolves had a chance on goal due to the energetic push, but they needed to land it. A penalty advantage and lineout maul looked incredibly promising, but Kotze took the ball into the blindside and tried to weave back through – and he was held up by a wall of Utah black and red.
The half ended, and Utah was up by seventeen while Seattle had nothing on the scoreboard.
Attempted Comeback Sputters Out
But the game was not over without a fight. Seattle came out of the sheds looking a lot better, with attacks that utilized a broader field and kept the Utah defense on the back foot. Ina Futi put the team on his back with two clutch tries, and it quickly became a close game. Although it appeared for a few minutes like the Seawolves might come away with another last-second come-from-behind victory, it was not to be – Utah held out.
Utah made a change at the opening of the half, bringing on D’Angelo Leuila at outside center.
Seattle received the second half kickoff in a pretty big hole, needing to make up 17 points just to tie. A 42nd minute lineout at their own 22 was clean and opened a run of play. Smith box kicked it forward a few meters and then sent off another soon after, but this one was recovered by Hodgson.
Then the Warriors had a run of phases under pressure from Seattle before the sides traded kicks and Utah had a lineout at their own 22, which was handled cleanly – but Seawolf pressure forced a kick to touch that became a lineout and then a 22 meter lineout after a penalty on Utah. Kotze’s throw was on the money and the Seawolves ran it to the openside. Futi attempted to break the line but was taken down and offloaded to Matthews, who tried to send it further on to Iona – but Trainor stuck his arm out and knocked the ball on.
TMO ruled it deliberate, and Trainor was sent to the sin bin. TMO further ruled a penalty try, as Iona was in good position to dot it down, so it was now 17-7 in the 48th minute.
Utah had a lineout after the kickoff and charged forward, looking for a shorthanded goal. But the home side rushed their play and Seattle had a lineout after the ball flew to touch. But it went right back to Utah for a scrum after Kotze’s throw was not straight.
The Warriors put together an excellent threat, with Mano weaving past some tacklers and the home crew inching forward despite their man disadvantage. An attempted 54th minute squib kick from Hodgson went through the goal, so the ball went back to an advantage in front of the posts. Leuila brought out the tee and took a 55th minute kick through the uprights to bring the score to 20-7.
The Seawolves won the ball off the kickoff but quickly lost it in an ensuing breakdown. Then the teams traded boots back and forth, looking for an opening of possession. Futi charged up the right touchline, followed by Stighling and then Matthews, who went to the 22 meter line. Then the team quickly shifted to the openside for Hattingh, who attempted to beat Hodgson on the touchline but was taken down. His offload was knocked into touch by Utah, so Seattle had a lineout.
It went to a maul, but the Warrior pack held them up on the blindside, so Smith went out to the openside. Iona got the ball and passed to Futi, who finally found an opening. He eased into the try zone in the 58th minute for Seattle’s first non-penalty try. Iona sent it through the uprights to make the game 20-14.
Seattle had a chance to double down before the water break, with Hattingh charging forward and Kotze continuing, but a knock-on gave the ball back to the Warriors.
After the water break, Nick Boyer came on for Smith and Utah took the scrum. Seattle’s pressure was excellent coming into the phases, so Hodgson went to the boot. The ensuing Seattle lineout went forward quickly through a Futi run and a Stighling near-breakaway, but Utah settled in and induced a knock-on.
Utah won a scrum penalty and Leuila went for the tee, sinking a clutch kick to bring Utah up by nine points.
Now Seattle needed a quick score to get back into it – and they had the opportunity, getting in the 22 meter line. Utah set themselves and pushed Seattle back before Futi knocked it on, so Utah had another scrum in the 69th minute. Seattle pressed heavily and the home crew sent forth a kick, so it was a Seattle lineout.
Jesse Mackail, in for Kotze, made a good throw, and the phases began. Fouché broke forward and made it into Utah territory, but the Warriors set themselves well to prevent anything easy going in. Then, Seattle caught an opportunity, as center Spencer Jones made a dangerous tackle that landed him in the sinbin for the rest of the game. Iona sent the ball to the corner for the lineout.
The 72nd minute maul drove forward before Kotze was finally taken down a couple meters before the try line. Boyer took it out of the ruck and sent it to Iona, who floated it to Matthews on the openside. Matthews gave it to Futi, who had an open run on the try line to score his brace. Iona landed the conversion to bring Seattle within two points.
But momentum quickly shifted the other way. A knock-on on the kickoff reception gave Utah a scrum just five meters out. The Seawall held back Leuila two meters away from the line and then Vugakoto one meter away. Then the Seawolves caught a break, as Crowley was called for stamping in the ruck. Rossouw kicked to touch.
The lineout came in good and the Seawolves charged forward once more. The visitors kept a quick pace, pushing Utah back further and further first to midfield and then quite a few meters past. Warrior wing Nic Benn was called for not rolling away and Seattle had a penalty kick from about 25 meters away along the touchline.
Here came a fateful decision with about four minutes remaining on the clock. Do the Seawolves go to Iona’s boot for three? A miss would give the ball back to Utah with little time left, while a successful penalty goal would bring the team up by one – but with one more shot for Utah to recover and score. Seattle went for the corner, looking for either five points or time on the clock.
A dinged up, battered Seawolf team – with Matthews sent off for concussion protocol after his mouth guard fell out and Futi visibly exhausted – now had a lineout about ten meters from the goal.
But Mackail’s throw was not straight, so Utah had a scrum. Two resets wore down the clock, with the scrum occurring in the eightieth minute and resulting in a scrum penalty for Utah. Hodgson took a quick reset and kicked to touch to end the game.
Utah 23, Seattle 21. And just like that, the Seawolves’ season is over.
Set Piece Blues
In any close game, there are many places where the losing side can say “if only” – and for the Seawolves, “if only” applies pretty strongly to the lineout and scrum. Muffed lineout throws by both Seattle hookers on Saturday changed the game in Utah’s favor. This was especially true of Kotze’s throws in the first half, most notably his 11th minute overshot that became a Warriors try within the minute. He had another missed throw that nearly became a try a few minutes later, but Seattle had a stroke of luck when Mano knocked the ball on. Mackail’s late crooked lineout ended a potential try-scoring opportunity with just a few minutes left.
And that brings us to the scrum, where the Seawolves also struggled. While the team did well enough when they had the feed, it was a different story during Utah feeds. Seattle struggled both with collapsing and turning the scrum, conceding multiple scrum penalties during the match and – key to the end of the game – losing precious time on scrum restarts. The objective during the final scrum in the 80th minute was to force Utah into a run of open play and win a turnover, but Seattle turned the scrum and gave the Warriors the easy restart-and-touch-kick.
If there was one place in set pieces that the Seawolves did well on, it was the driving maul. As the game wore on, it became the go-to for Seattle off the lineout, and it ended up making good forward progress multiple times. The most promising maul – off a corner lineout in the end of the first half – did not result in a try, but this was due to Utah’s stalwart defensive effort to hold Kotze back from the try line.
Wingers Shine Through Loss
The obvious Man of the Match candidate for Seattle was Ina Futi, and there really is not any argument about that. Futi scored the only two open field tries for Seattle, and did so while being visibly exhausted. On his first try, he easily blew past Mano and Jones, though both Utah players had quite a gap between them and neither had much of a chance to catch Futi. The second time into the try zone, Mano again tried to catch up with Futi – and had a chance to take him down just shy of the line – but Futi executed a perfect rightward cut to evade Mano.
Futi was originally slated as a substitute but ended up playing every minute of Saturday’s game. In addition to his two tries, he had 14 carries and made 86 meters (6.1 meters/carry), crossed six gainlines (.429 crossed gainline percentage), beat twelve defenders, and had two clean breaks. Futi’s performance on Saturday – and all season – gives him a good chance of making the USA Eagles squad for this year’s international play, which would be his first time making the national team.
Jade Stighling, who was playing in his second straight game after riding the bench for much of the 2025 season, continued his strong performance from last week. He covered Mano well, preventing the season try leader from adding to his total by keeping the pressure on him and forcing him to make mistakes. Stighling also looked sharp on offense, several times nearly breaking completely free, but Utah managed to hold him just barely in check. Still, Stighling gained 98 meters on 13 carries (7.5 meters/carry), crossed the gainline seven times (.538 crossed gainline percentage), and beat six defenders.
The number 14 also had four offloads, a strong factor in Seattle’s second half momentum. During the first half, the Seawolves played a slower, more drawn-out style of rugby, attempting to break Utah up the middle with big crashes from the forward pack. The Warriors, with their own massive forwards outweighing Seattle, were well suited to counter this strategy, and Seattle had some early trouble getting the ball out of the ruck in time. Clarke shifted gears after the break and utilized some of the outside back connection that has worked well this year.
This kept Utah on the back foot for much of the rest of the match. Each time Seattle got the ball in the second half, they played a quick style and pushed forward rapidly up the field. Once Nick Boyer came on for Smith, he augmented the rapid-fire come-from-behind style, and the Seawolves roared back to life.
Hard Loss to End Season
Still, going down 17-0 in the first forty minutes is not a good recipe for success. Above all else, that is what cost Seattle the game. Utah were the better team within the opposing 22 meter line, as they converted most of their opportunities into points while Seattle shed chances with avoidable mistakes.
And the Seawolves’ struggles off the tee came perhaps cast a shadow that ended up biting. The visitors entered the match with the worst kicking percentage in MLR – 61.3%, with 46 completed kicks in 75 opportunities. It can’t yet be said for certain, but team captain Riekert Hattingh’s decision to have his team go for the corner in the early 77th minute, rather than have Iona or Fouché attempt a difficult but doable penalty goal, might very well have been influenced by this figure. Now, it must be said that with the minutes still left to play, there were other factors involved – and Iona had already made two kicks, one of which was from an almost identical location – but the decision will remain as a “what if” for Seattle.
Maybe the hardest part about the loss for the Seawolves was the anticlimactic ending. It was a thrilling game of rugby up until that final bad lineout followed by three minutes of the clock winding down over scrum resets. Fate set in not over runs of open play but with the ticking of the seconds, the verdict becoming clearer with each passing moment until Hodgson booted the ball into touch to seal the score.
