Seattle Seawolves
Professional rugby union team from Seattle, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Seattle Seawolves are an American professional rugby union team based in the Seattle metropolitan area that competes in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team was founded in 2017. The Seawolves won two MLR championships in 2018 and 2019, and lost in the 2022 final and 2024 final. They play home matches at the 4,000-seat main stadium at Starfire Sports in Tukwila, a suburb south of Seattle.
 | |||
| Founded | 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Tukwila, Washington | ||
| Ground | Starfire Sports (Capacity: 4,500) | ||
| Coach | Allen Clarke | ||
| Captain | Riekert Hattingh | ||
| Most caps | JP Smith (106) | ||
| Top scorer | AJ Alatimu (321) | ||
| Most tries | Riekert Hattingh (48) | ||
| League | Major League Rugby | ||
| 2025 | Western Conference: 4th Playoffs: Conference semi-finalists | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| seawolves | |||
History
The team was founded in 2017 by an investor group led by Adrian Balfour and Shane Skinner.[1] The Seawolves won the inaugural MLR Grand Final in 2018,[2] and defended the title in the 2019 Major League Rugby Championship. In the final on June 16, 2019, the Seattle Seawolves defeated San Diego Legion 26–23 at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego.[3]
The Seawolves hired Kees Lensing as their head coach for the 2020 season and started with a 1–4 record. The season was cancelled in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not resume.[4]
Stadium
The Seattle Seawolves play at the main stadium at Starfire Sports, which has a seating capacity of 4,000, in the suburb of Tukwila.[5] The team offered 1,800 season tickets for their inaugural season, which sold out prior to the first match.[6] In 2024, Seawolves team president Tom Barden stated that the team was "in discussions" to move to the redeveloped Memorial Stadium on the Seattle Center campus. The stadium is planned to be rebuilt with a capacity of 6,500 to 8,000 seats.[7]
Broadcasting
The local broadcasts for the Seawolves were carried by Root Sports Northwest, a regional AT&T SportsNet affiliate, from 2019 to 2021.[4][6] Dan Power and Kevin Swiryn were the on-air talent for the first season.[citation needed] As of the 2024 season, national broadcasts were shown on Fox, FS1, and FS2; regional broadcasts were available on Root Sports and Fox 13+.[8]
Kit history
        Home 2018–19
|
    Away 2018
|
    Away 2022–23
|
 Home 2023–23
|
Kit sponsorship
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Other Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | XBlades | None | None |
| 2020 | Paladin Sports | Krusteaz | None |
| 2021–2022 | WaFd Bank | None | |
| 2023 | Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Tukwila City of Tukwila | ||
| 2024 | Kappa | ||
| 2025 | Macron |
Players and personnel
Current squad
The Seattle Seawolves squad for the 2026 Major League Rugby season is:[9]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
- Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
- * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
- ** denotes non-American players playing as domestic players (maximum of four per matchday-23).
Head coaches
Tony Healy (2018) did not take up post due to visa difficulties- Phil Mack (2018) [10]
Anton Moolman (2019) did not take up post due to visa difficulties [11]
Richie Walker (2019)
Kees Lensing (2020–April 2021)
Pate Tuilevuka (May–June 2021)
Allen Clarke (May 2021–)
Captains
- Riekert Hattingh (2018–present)
Records
Season standings
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
| 2018 | — | 2nd | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 232 | 188 | +44 | 5 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 43 | +18 | Won Semifinal (San Diego Legion) 38–24 Won Major League Rugby final (Glendale Raptors) 23-19 | |
| 2019 | — | 2nd | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 498 | 407 | +91 | 12 | 58 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 40 | +16 | Won Semifinal (Toronto Arrows) 30–17 Won Major League Rugby final (San Diego Legion) 26-23 | |
| 2020[a] | Western | 4th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 138 | 162 | -24 | 4 | 8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | Western | 5th | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 343 | 461 | -118 | 10 | 26 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | Western | 4th | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 435 | 354 | +73 | 6 | 46 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 104 | 76 | +28 | Won West Conference Eliminator (San Diego Legion) 43–19 Won West Conference Final (Houston SaberCats) 46–27 Lost Major League Rugby final (Rugby New York) 15-30 | |
| 2023 | Western | 2nd | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 509 | 348 | +161 | 11 | 59 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 69 | 36 | +33 | Won West Conference Eliminator (Houston SaberCats) 37–26 Lost West Conference Final (San Diego Legion) 32-10 | |
| 2024 | Western | 2nd | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 498 | 373 | +125 | 13 | 57 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 69 | 73 | -4 | Won West Conference Eliminator (San Diego Legion) 30–28 Won West Conference Final (Dallas Jackals) 28-25 Lost Major League Rugby final (New England Free Jacks) 11-20 | |
| 2025 | Western | 4th | 16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 460 | 422 | +38 | 15 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 23 | -2 | Lost West Conference Semifinal (Utah Warriors) | |
| Totals | 109 | 62 | 2 | 45 | 3,113 | 2,528 | +585 | 76 | 332 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 380 | 291 | +89 | 6 postseason appearances | |||
Notes
- 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honors
2018 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 22 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 39–23 |
| April 28 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Lost, 15–19 |
| May 12 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 31–29 |
| May 20 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 41–32 |
| May 27 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 55–26 |
| June 2 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 20–7 |
| June 8 | Austin Elite | Away | Won, 20–19 |
| June 16 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Lost, 11–33 |
Postseason
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 30 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 38-24 |
| June 16 | Glendale Raptors | Neutral | Won, 23–19 |
2019 season
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 22 (2018) | Crimson Tide | Away | Won, 48–7 |
| January 5 | SFGG | Away | Won, 45–0 |
| January 17 | Seattle Saracens | Home | Won, 74–3 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 27 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Won, 20-18 |
| February 2 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 13-17 |
| February 10 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Lost, 31-41 |
| February 17 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Won, 35–30 |
| February 24 | Rugby United New York | Home | Won, 33-21 |
| March 10 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 27-14 |
| March 16 | Austin Elite | Away | Won, 29-17 |
| March 31 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 22-28 |
| April 5 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 48-36 |
| April 13 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 52–10 |
| April 21 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 25–24 |
| April 28 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lost, 7-29 |
| May 11 | Rugby United New York | Away | Won, 38-31 |
| May 18 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Won, 53-36 |
| May 26 | Utah Warriors | Home | Draw, 27-27 |
| June 2 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 38–26 |
Postseason
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 9 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Won, 30-17 |
| June 16 | San Diego Legion | Away | Won, 26–23 |
2020 season
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic.[13] It was cancelled the following week[14]
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 9 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 24–33 |
| February 16 | Old Glory DC | Away | Lost, 22–28 |
| February 22 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Lost, 17–39 |
| February 29 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Won, 44–29 |
| March 7 | Utah Warriors | Home | Lost, 31–33 |
| March 15 | Rugby United New York | Away | Cancelled |
| March 21 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Cancelled |
| March 29 | Colorado Raptors | Home | Cancelled |
| April 4 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Cancelled |
| April 12 | San Diego Legion | Home | Cancelled |
| April 25 | Utah Warriors | Away | Cancelled |
| May 2 | Houston SabreCats | Away | Cancelled |
| May 10 | Rugby ATL | Away | Cancelled |
| May 17 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Cancelled |
| May 24 | Colorado Raptors | Away | Cancelled |
| May 31 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Cancelled |
2021 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Lost, 24–30 |
| March 28 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 26–57 |
| April 10 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 20–15 |
| April 17 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lost, 7-52 |
| April 25 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 15-42 |
| May 2 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 23-21 |
| May 9 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 21-15 |
| May 16 | Old Glory DC | Away | Lost, 18-22 |
| May 23 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 6-25 |
| June 6 | Utah Warriors | Home | Lost, 28-29 |
| June 13 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 21-25 |
| June 20 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 31-36 |
| June 27 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 14-29 |
| July 3 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 21-34 |
| July 11 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 30-6 |
| July 15 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 40-21 |
2022 season
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 22 | Seattle Rugby Club | Home | Won, 76-8 |
| January 28 | Hartford Harpooners | Home | Won, 50-0 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 6 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Won, 21-8 |
| February 10 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 20-17 |
| February 20 | San Diego Legion | Away | Won, 31-28 |
| February 26 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 25-18 |
| March 4 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Lost, 25-24 |
| March 12 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Lost, 21-19 |
| March 19 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 34-12 |
| March 26 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 12-31 |
| April 9 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 22-24 |
| April 16 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 34-32 |
| April 23 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 20-14 |
| May 1 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 6-17 |
| May 8 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 74-7 |
| May 15 | Rugby United NY | Away | Lost, 22-30 |
| May 27 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 43-36 |
| June 5 | LA Giltinis | Away | Won, 35-27 |
Post season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Eliminator | June 12 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 43–19 |
| West Conference Finals | June 18 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 46–27 |
| MLR Championship | June 25 | Rugby United NY | Away | Lost, 15–30 |
2023 season
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | American Raptors | Home | Won, 47-0 |
| February 8 | Seattle Rugby Club | Home | Won, 49-0 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 18 | New York Ironworkers | Home | Won, 25-11 |
| February 24 | Rugby ATL | Home | Won, 28-22 |
| March 4 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 35-10 |
| March 11 | Houston Sabercats | Home | Won, 24-12 |
| March 24 | Chicago Hounds | Away | Won, 27-5 |
| April 2 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 36-35 |
| April 8 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 20-23 |
| April 14 | Utah Warriors | Away | Lost, 35-41 |
| April 22 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Won, 36-27 |
| April 28 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 61-19 |
| May 13 | Houston Sabercats | Away | Won, 34-17 |
| May 20 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Won, 35-13 |
| May 27 | Old Glory DC | Away | Won, 41-19 |
| June 4 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 27-20 |
| June 11 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Lost, 26-34 |
| June 18 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 19-40 |
Post-Season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Conference Playoff | June 24 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 37-26 |
| West Conference Final | July 2 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 19–40 |
2024 season
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 16 | Pacific Pride | Home | Won, 79-7 |
| February 21 | Canada Selects | Home | Won, 54-7 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 25–19 |
| March 9 | Miami Sharks | Home | Won, 29–18 |
| March 16 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 23–13 |
| March 23 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Lost, 40–42 |
| March 30 | Chicago Hounds | Away | Won, 32–26 |
| April 6 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 34–32 |
| April 13 | RFC Los Angeles | Away | Won, 36–5 |
| April 20 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Won, 29–21 |
| April 27 | Anthem Rugby Carolina | Home | Won, 29–13 |
| May 4 | NOLA Gold | Away | Lost, 31–32 |
| May 11 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Lost, 7–14 |
| May 18 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 26–24 |
| May 25 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 68–29 |
| June 1 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Lost, 25–28 |
| June 8 | RFC Los Angeles | Home | Won, 29–12 |
| June 15 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 33–45 |
Post-Season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Conference Semi-Final | July 21 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 30-28 |
| West Conference Final | July 28 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 28-25 |
| MLR Championship | August 4 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 11–20 |
