> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Playoff Bound: Seawolves Clinch Fourth Spot in 42-17 Blowout Win vs. Sharks - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seawolves-make-playoffs-42-17-win-clinches-fourth-spot-season-finale/ - Published: 2025-06-09T21:13:05.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:20:02.000Z - Author: Callaghan Bluechel - Tags: News, Analysis, Seawolves, Malembe Mpofu, Jade Stighling, Duncan Matthews, Nick Boyer, Rodney Iona, Dan Kriel \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2813"\] ![ Seattle Seawolves center Eddie Fouché offloads the ball during the team’s 42-17 win on June 8, 2025, which sealed the Seawolves’ entry into the 2025 playoffs. Credit: Punkus Arnett/Seattle Seawolves. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/pz2_8351-jpeg-format-original-1.jpg) Seattle Seawolves center Eddie Fouché offloads the ball during the team’s 42-17 win on June 8, 2025, which sealed the Seawolves’ entry into the 2025 playoffs. Credit: Punkus Arnett/Seattle Seawolves. \[/caption\] TUKWILA, Wash. – The most storied side in Major League Rugby is in the playoffs for the sixth time in their eight-year history. But this time, there was a tremendous struggle just to get there. The Seattle Seawolves went into their bye week staring down a nine game stretch where they needed to go on a tear to get back into the playoff hunt. Seattle managed to do just that. But the West is not an easy division, and other teams did their best to keep pace. By the second-to-last week, it was clear it came down to the Seawolves and the San Diego Legion. The Legion won their game this week to go four points ahead of Seattle. So, the Seawolves needed all five available points against the Miami Sharks on Sunday. And though there was a brief period in the end of the first half where the team began to play shakier and suffer from penalties, Seattle thundered back in the second half with thrilling runs on the try line from some of the outside backs. By the end of the game, it was a resounding 42-17 victory for the home squad, locking up a playoff spot by one table point. ### Penalties Threaten Strong First Half Start Needing a win and four tries to go to the playoffs, the team started out of the gate strong in the first twenty minutes of the half, opening the scoring with two tries. But the Seawolves started committing penalty after penalty, especially during the few times they got possession of the ball. Twice in the waning minutes of the half, Seattle had a corner lineout, but the chance ended each time with Seawolf obstruction. Inside center Dan Kriel received the opening kickoff to start play before the teams traded kicks and the Seawolves went through the phases around midfield. Right wing Ina Futi broke the line on the openside and charged past the 22, where he dumped off to left wing Jade Stighling, who offloaded to flanker Riekert Hattingh, who got about five meters out. The goal line scrambles started before the end of the first minute, with Miami on the back foot. Lock Malembe Mpofu took the pass from scrumhalf JP Smith and dotted it down. Iona made the conversion to bring it to 7-0. The Seawolves won a penalty in the fifth minute off a Miami high tackle and Rossouw sent the touch kick to the 22 meter line – but lost it on a tackle. Although the Sharks then briefly themselves lost the ball, Seattle outside center Divan Rossouw accidentally kicked it into touch. Miami took the ball in the lineout and kicked to midfield. Play restarted with a Seattle lineout that went into a Iona box kick intended for Rossouw that the Sharks picked up. The teams traded kicks before Miami won a 11th minute penalty around midfield and sent the kick within the Seattle 22 meter line. The driving maul pushed forward a few meters and then the visitors won another penalty and got another lineout even closer to the line. The Sharks flew the ball out to the openside with a very clear threat on goal, but the last man in line – their impact left wing Josh McAdam – knocked the ball on to give Seattle a scrum in the 13th minute. OJ took the ball out of the scrum and gave it to Iona, who kicked to touch around midfield. The Sharks went through a brief run of phases until being hit with a not releasing call. Rossouw kicked for touch, but his kick went out straight past the try zone and Miami had a midfield scrum. The visitors took it out and then powered forward, sending a 17th minute kick to touch a couple meters past the 22. Seattle stole the lineout and quickly sent it to the openside through Iona and then Rossouw, who gave it to fullback Duncan Matthews along the touchline. Matthews then broke the line and then dumped off to Stighling, who thundered all the way to the try zone in the 16th minute. Iona once again converted, and it was 14-0, Seattle. After the water break, the Sharks then had another drive on goal, as Seattle was ruled offsides during a 21st minute lineout steal and Miami sent it to the corner. The visitors then benefitted from another penalty and sent in another kick for another lineout in the 23rd. The maul drove forward before their hooker Sean McNulty – a former Seawolf – and then their outside center Tomas Malanos tried to break the line. Then Rossouw was called for not releasing – and he was sent to the sin bin due to the amount of penalties Seattle was getting. Miami took a scrum to restart play and then sent it to the openside looking for an opening, but the Seawall kept it shut. They went back the other way and flyhalf Santiago Videla sent a long toss to McAdam, who pushed past a Matthews tackle to dot the ball down in the 25th. Videla sent a kick that barely cleared the crossbar. 14-7. The Seawolves were penalized off the kickoff and the Sharks had a lineout in the 28th. Futi stole the ball away on the openside and brought it forward ten meters, but Stighling stepped out of touch as Seattle sent it across and Miami had another lineout – that they knocked on to give the Seawolves a scrum. But the home crew collapsed the scrum and Miami sent another kick to touch past midfield. The first lineout fell back into touch of Orr’s boot and the second was good, but Matthews got a boot to the ball and sent it deep into Miami territory in the 32nd and Malanos dove on the ball to prevent a try. Seattle won a penalty off a not releasing call, but the lineout was obstructed. The Sharks again had a penalty kick to touch, followed by lineout and then a scrum due to a Seattle kick going through the end goal. The Seawolves stole possession in the tackle and Futi barreled forward to the 22, but Miami stole it right back in the ruck and then the teams traded kicks around midfield. Matthews took it through the middle and was downed at midfield by McNulty. – who was shown the yellow for a high tackle. Then Seattle had a corner lineout in the 38th minute – but the home crew were given another penalty for obstruction in the lineout and Miami kicked to touch just behind midfield. The Sharks took the ball out of the lineout and crashed forward up the openside, but an attempted squib kick went through the end goal. After a couple of kicks, Smith took the ball on a reception, but the team was once again called, this time for not releasing the ball. Videla took it through the uprights, and it was 14-7 after the half. ### Stighling, Matthews Braces Punctuate Second Half Though some of the struggles continued to start the second half, the Seawolves kept pulling further and further away as time wore on – despite being down at least a man for much of the half. The home offense was simply too explosive and the Seawall defense too stalwart for the short-handed Sharks to rain on Seattle’s parade. The teams traded kicks to start the half and then the Seawolves started a run of phases around midfield. First Kotze and then Hattingh barged forward, followed by Noa and Matthews. Around fifteen meters past midfield, Fouché – in for Kriel since about the middle of the first half – went down into a ruck and tried to offload, but knocked the ball on. Miami took the ball out of the scrum and their scrumhalf attempted a box kick soon after, but Seattle recovered. The ball got to Fouché on the openside, who crashed forward a few meters before offloading to Rossouw, who barreled forward for a few more. Then the Seawolves phased through the passes to Matthews, who broke the line and flew under the posts for seven points to make it 21-10 Seawolves, and the team needed one more try. Miami got the ball back off a knock-on during the kickoff reception and took a scrum in the 47th. As the visitors began the phases, Rossouw jumped out and slapped it forward, getting shown his second yellow for a deliberate knock-on. Seattle would now be playing with 14 men for 20 minutes. The Sharks kicked to touch for the corner lineout, but McNulty’s throw was knocked on right to Stighling, who charged all the way to midfield before being taken down by Malanos. Then Iona fought off tacklers for several more. Smith sent a box kick intended for Matthews, but Miami recovered it and began crashing forward. Malanos pushed out past his own 22 meter line before being taken down. Then the Sharks sent it to the touchline, where right wing Lautaro Soto broke the shorthanded Seattle line and raced for the try zone. Under pressure, Soto dropped it off to flanker Chase Schor-Haskin, who dotted it down in the 49th. Videla made the conversion to bring the score to 21-17\. To make matters even more dicey, TMO found that flanker Charles Elton had made a dangerous tackle during the play, so he was in the bin for 10 minutes and the Seawolves were playing 13-on-15. But Seattle roared right back for their fourth try. The team won a lineout and phased through to Matthews, who ripped through several tacklers, stiff-armed another, then sent himself a short squib kick to himself and dove into the try zone for the brace and fourth Seattle try. Iona sent it through the uprights to make it 28-17. Now all the Seawolves needed to do for the last 25 minutes was hold the lead – down two men for most of that time. The team got the ball off the kickoff and fought forward about 10 meters past midfield and then won a penalty. Iona went for post but shanked the ball to the left, so the Sharks got the ball back going into the last water break. Miami had a 60th minute lineout inside their own territory but McNulty did not throw the ball straight, so Seattle had a scrum. The home crew crashed forward, with several players getting meters and making it within the 22 meter line, but a knock-on in the breakdown gave Miami the ball in a scrum. The Sharks kicked to touch and Seattle had a lineout in the attacking half – but this time, it was the Seawolves who did not throw straight, and the Sharks had another scrum. The phases to the openside threatened a breakaway, but Seattle pushed Videla into touch and the home side had a lineout that became a drive into Miami territory. Substitute tighthead prop Mason Pedersen knocked the ball forward while taking a huge hit – controversially ruled clean – by Sharks substitute hooker Isaac Bales, so Miami had a scrum in the 67th. Both sides traded positioning kicks and then the visitors sent a squib kick all the way up the field. Fouché dove on the ball in the try zone to keep Miami off the board, but the Sharks now had a scrum five meters out. The visitors phased back and forth, looking to break the Seawall. Malanos crashed forward to the try line, but was taken down by Boyer (in for Rossouw after the 20 minutes of the red ended). Scrumhalf Damian Morley got the ball out of the ruck and sent it to the touchline for fullback Connor Burns, who had a good look on the goal. But Stighling intercepted the ball and started sprinting. A second later, he had 10 meters between him and the nearest Shark, then it was twenty. He landed his 70th minute brace with a dive. Iona made the conversion, and the Seawolves led 35-17\. With 10 minutes remaining, the win was all but sealed. Still, Miami followed with a chance of its own, as the Sharks found themselves with a corner lineout in the 73rd – but Hattingh jumped up and stole the ball. Boyer kicked for some distance and Miami had another lineout. The visitors got within the 22 meter line, but then the Seawall stiffened up and did not allow any movement before a 75th minute forward pass gave the Seawolves a scrum. Seattle took the ball out of the scrum and immediately turned it into more insurance. Matthews broke free and threatened a hat trick but was taken down. Then the ball found its way across the field – after Seattle knocked it on to Miami and then they knocked it right back – where substitute flanker Devin Short ran forward and gave it to Boyer, who dashed all the way for the try. Iona again made the conversion to bring the score to 42-17. ### Outside Backs Power Seattle Win The two standouts of the Seawolves’ victory on Sunday were without a doubt Duncan Matthews and Jade Stighling. Between them, they had four tries – all on booming downfield runs – and 22 of Seattle’s 42 points. They were both consistent threats throughout the game, making significant meters on most of their carries. Matthews was the Man of the Match, with his second try being the bonus point-clincher in the 52nd minute. He was both fast and nimble, breaking tackles on each of his tries and reaching incredible speed while doing so. On his second try, he impressively sent a tap kick to himself while sprinting. Matthews also gained 172 meters in 13 carries and made four clean breaks. He now has six tries and over 1000 meters made in twelve appearances on the season, all starts, and has played 929 minutes. Meanwhile, Stighling played fully to his potential as an explosive offense-focused wing. Although he had struggled during his previous six appearances, he put together a performance reminiscent of his ten-try 2024 campaign, punctuated by a full-field run with ten minutes left in the game. Stighling now has three tries on the season and over 300 meters gained in seven matches, four of them starts, with 357 minutes played. The second half performance from the team today was a positive shift going into the playoffs. “It’s a feeling of added momentum and energy,” Stighling said after the game. “We were really under the pump \[going into halftime\]. We said, ‘stick to our structure’, and we came into the second half and did that. Also with a notable performance among the outside backs was right wing Ina Futi, who had several significant runs and made some touchline tackles to keep Miami in check. ### Playoff Bracket Set With Seattle’s win on Sunday, the team entered the fourth Western Conference playoff spot, with 49 points to the San Diego Legion’s 48\. It was a rollercoaster journey to this point and an incredible comeback in the last nine games to slot into the last playoff spot. All four of the other Western sides were formidable opponents, but the Seawolves bested three of them and tied the other in the second half of the season. The Seawolves will be going on the road to face the Utah Warriors in the first round, with the game scheduled for 7 PM PT on June 14\. Seattle and Utah faced off twice in the regular season with each team coming away with a road win, and the Seawolves are looking to continue that streak. But it will not be easy; the Warriors are in first place for a reason. They are a powerful attacking team that often powers ahead in the first half, something that the Seawolves – who most often come to life in the second half – will have to keep in check. Seattle will not be at full strength going into the playoffs, as lock Rhyno Herbst is still unavailable due to his red card suspension. MLR has yet to issue any disciplinary action about Divan Rossouw’s red card on Sunday. Dan Kriel is also a question mark, as he left the game around the 25 minute mark with an apparent hamstring issue. If the Seawolves win on Saturday, they would face either RFC Los Angeles or the Houston SaberCats in the Western Conference Final on June 21\. If they win that game, they would play the Eastern Conference champion in the MLR final on June 28\. The MLR final will be played in Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.