background & History

Found in 2017, the Seattle Seawolves are a founding member of Major League Rugby and have competed in every season of MLR to date. The team was founded by an investor group headed by Adrian Balfour and Shane Skinner and is one of the most successful teams in MLR history. The Seawolves won the inaugural season to become the first team to lift the MLR shield in 2018, defeating the Glendale (later Colorado) Raptors and claimed a second MLR Championship the following year, defeating the San Diego Legion to lift the 2019 Shield. The Seattle Seawolves were the first MLR team to win multiple Championships, and the first of only two teams to have captured back-to-back Shields.

Following a controversial 2022 season the Seattle Seawolves made their 3^rd Championship Final appearance but were unable to capture a third MLR Shield, falling to Rugby New York. Despite the Seawolves’ historical success, they have never finished as the #1 seed at the end of the regular season, but have finished 2^nd (either overall or in the Western Conference) in 3 separate seasons (see below). Despite numerous injuries to key players in 2024, the Seawolves finished the regular season with a solid 11-5 record, and faced their rivals the San Diego Legion in the playoffs yet again. Unlike in 2023, the Seawolves prevailed in 2024 and then defeated the impressive Dallas Jackals in the 2024 Western Conference Final to advance to their 4th MLR final, against the New England Free Jacks, fighting for back-to-back titles. The Seawolves would fall in the 2024 Championship game, and finished the 2024 season as Runners-Up for the 2nd time. Although they were the first side to do so, they are now not the only team in MLR to win back-to-back Shields, joined by the 2023-2024 New England Free Jacks.

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records & Record Holders

2018 MLR Champions
2019 MLR Champions
2022 MLR Runners-Up
2024 MLR Runners-Up

All Time:

Top Scorer: AJ Alatimu (321)
Top Try Scorer: Riekert Hattingh (39)
Top Playoff Scorer: AJ Alatimu (55)
Top Tackler: Riekert Hattingh (811)
Top Meter Eater: Riekert Hattingh (5,221m)
Most Capped Player: JP Smith (92)
Most Starts: JP Smith (82)

Single Season:

Top Scorer: Mack Mason (172pts) – 2024
Top Try Scorer: Riekert Hattingh (12) – 2023
Top Tackler: Charles Elton (272) – 2023
Top Meter Eater: Lauina Futi (1,495m) – 2023

historical performance

2018: 6-0-2 (+44) – 29pts: 2^nd (Champions x1)
2019: 11-1-4 (+91) – 58pts: 2^nd (Champions x2)
2020: 1-0-4 (-24) – 8pts: 4th in Western Conference
2021: 4-0-12 (-118) – 26pts: 5th in Western Conference
2022: 9-0-7 (+73) – 46pts: 4th in Western Conference (Runners-Up)
2023: 12-0-4 (+161) – 59pts: 2^nd in Western Conference (Conference Runners-Up)
2024: 11-0-5 (+125) – 57pts: 2^nd in Western Conference (Runners-Up)

Overall Regular Season Record: 54-1-38
Overall Championship Series Record: 9-3
Championship Series Appearances: 5 (2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)

Captains & Head Coaches

Head Coach

• Tony Healy*: 2018
• Phil Mack: 2018
• Anton Moolman*: 2019
• Richie Walker: 2019
• Kees Lensing: 2020 – April 2021
• Allen Clarke: May 2021 – Present

*= Appointed but unable to take up post due to visa difficulties

Captain

• Riekert Hattingh: 2018 – Present

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Logo & Jersey

The Seawolves logo depicts an Orca, also known as a Seawolf. The logo has not changed since the inaugural MLR season in 2018. Their jerseys initially fell in like with traditional Seattle sports team colours: faded blue and green. This worked in relation to the Seawolves as it gave images of the sea around the PNW. In later years, the Seawolves would step away from the blues and replace them with black. The green remained and their away kits were often primarily white.

Venue

The Seattle Seawolves have always played their home games out of Starfire Sports, a 4,500 seater turf stadium in Tukwila, South of Seattle. The Seawolves share these facilities with the Seattle Sounders of the MLS, who have offices and training facilities at the complex, as well as the NWSL team, Seattle Reign FC.

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