Alatimu Arrives in Seattle, Set to Debut in MLR as Seawolf

TUKWILA, WASHINGTON (May 7, 2021) – The Seattle Seawolves are excited to announce the signing of Samoan international and former Western Force fly half, AJ Alatimu.

Alatimu was born in Samoa and attended James Cook High School in Manurewa, New Zealand. Alatimu entered the Samoan national team pathway at the U20 level and played in the IRB Junior World Championship in 2012-13, playing four matches at the tournament and scoring 28 points. The young playmaker moved to Australia for opportunities there. In 2016, Alatimu helped Perth Spirit win the 2016 National Rugby Championship (NRC) title. His next move was to Brisbane where he joined club side GPS for the offseason and then was named to Brisbane City’s team for their 2017 NRC season. Performing well for Brisbane, Alatimu was brought into Samoa’s November Internationals squad and make his test debut against Scotland. Hi continued development progressed to a Super Rugby opportunity back in Perth with Western Force where he played from 2018 through 2020. Alatimu continued to be involved in Samoa’s set up, named to the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup and later in the year, named to the World Cup side. His last test debut was against Russia in the 2019 World Cup. Alatimu’s sharp pass, paired with his strong carrying ability himself, will add another directing threat to the 2021 Seawolves backline.

“I am very excited to joining the Seawolves family and putting my best foot forward for the team,” said Alatimu.

The Seattle Seawolves (1-5) are home again for week 8 of the Major League Rugby regular season. West coast rival, San Diego Legion (2-5), will take on the Seawolves in Tukwila, Washington on Sunday, May 9. Kickoff is at 5:00 PM PT on ROOT SPORTS and The Rugby Network. Match capacity is limited, and the match is sold out. Learn more about our return to Starfire here.