Seattle Seawolves
The Seattle Seawolves are an American professional rugby union team based in Seattle, Washington. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby,[2] the top-level rugby competition in the United States that played its first season in 2018.
| Founded | 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Seattle, Washington | ||
| Ground(s) | Starfire Stadium (Capacity: 3,800) | ||
| Coach(es) | Kees Lensing Phil Mack[1] (Assistant) | ||
| Captain(s) | Riekert Hattingh | ||
| Top scorer | Brock Staller (277) | ||
| Most tries | Mathew Turner (12) | ||
| League(s) | Major League Rugby | ||
| 2019 | Champions 2nd place (regular season) | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| seattleseawolves | |||
History
The team was founded in 2017 by an investor group headed by Adrian Balfour and Shane Skinner.[2] The Seawolves won the inaugural MLR Grand Final in 2018,[3] 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.[4]
Home field
The Seattle Seawolves play at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.[5] The team offered 1,800 season tickets for their inaugural season, which sold out prior to the first match.[6]
Broadcasts
Home games for 2019 were shown on Root Sports Northwest an AT&T SportsNet affiliate.[7] Dan Power and Kevin Swiryn were the on-air talent.[8]
Sponsorship
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | XBlades | None |
| 2020-present | Paladin Sports |
Players and personnel
Current squad
The following players have been reported for the 2020 season:[9][10]
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
- Internationally capped players in bold
- MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match
Head coaches
- Tony Healy (2018) did not take up post due to visa difficulties
- Phil Mack (2018) [11]
- Anton Moolman (2019) did not take up post due to visa difficulties [12]
- Richie Walker (2019)
- Kees Lensing (2020–)
Captains
- Riekert Hattingh (2018–present)
Records
Season standings
| Year | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2nd | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 232 | 188 | +44 | 5 | 29 | Won championship final |
| 2019 | 2nd | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 498 | 407 | +91 | 12 | 58 | Won championship final |
Honors
References
- http://www.seattleseawolves.com/players/phil-mack
- "Seattle has a brand new sports team". KIRO 7 News. September 21, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- Arthur, Ben (May 16, 2019). "The driving force of the Seattle Seawolves". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
- "'I can't explain this feeling': Seawolves repeat as Major League Rugby champions with try as time expires". The Seattle Times. 2019-06-16. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
- "About the Seattle Seawolves". Seattle Seawolves. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- Saul, John (April 13, 2018). "Seattle's hottest new startup is no tech company: Get to know the Seawolves and professional rugby". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
- http://www.seattleseawolves.com/news/major-league-rugby-s-seattle-seawolves-extend-television-partnership-with-root-sports
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10510446
- "2018 Major League Rugby – Seattle Seawolves". Americas Rugby News. 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- "MLR Off-Season Update – December 13, 2018". Americas Rugby News. 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-23.
- "Seawolves win first game as pro rugby makes Seattle debut". The Seattle Times. April 22, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2018.
- "Anton Moolman new Head Coach of Seattle Seawolves". Americas Rugby News. September 9, 2018. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018.