Sunday didn’t go the way we wanted on the scoreboard, but we’re coming home from Quincy with two playoff-shaping bonus points. Despite falling 37–30 to the New England Free Jacks in a wild battle at Veterans Memorial Stadium, we did what we needed to stay in control of our postseason destiny.
We came out swinging—literally scoring within the opening minute and following it up with a second try before the first hydration break. But after that early storm, the match flipped. We had to make some tough mid-game adjustments. JP Smith left early for a head injury assessment (HIA), Mika Kruse picked up an injury, and Toni Pulu—who made a huge impact in just seven minutes—was also subbed out for an HIA. That wasn’t the end of it. Rhyno Herbst was shown red, leaving us with 14 men for a critical 20-minute stretch.
New England took full advantage of that window, stringing together five unanswered tries and turning the tide. They controlled the majority of possession (56%) and territory (63%), but we weren’t going to back down.
We rallied. In the final quarter, we added two more tries and nailed a clutch penalty kick from Eddie Fouché in the closing minute to close the gap to seven. That secured us the losing bonus point. Scoring four tries overall gave us another. Two points. On the road. In tough conditions. With a man down. That matters.
Devin Short kept grinding at the breakdown and tacked on three more turnovers to his season total.
Toni Pulu gave us a jolt of electricity—one try, one turnover, and two line breaks in just seven minutes on the pitch. Explosive stuff.
Dewald Koetz found the try zone twice, stacking up a crucial 10 points for the squad.
We left some points out there—tough wind, missed conversions, and moments we’ll learn from. But so did New England. Bottom line: every point counted, and we came away with two that could make all the difference.
We’re still in 4th place, one point ahead of the San Diego Legion. One week left. Here’s what has to happen:
We win and San Diego loses
We and San Diego both win and collect the same number of match points
We both lose, but we earn as many or more bonus points than San Diego
San Diego wins and we lose
San Diego loses but grabs 2 bonus points while we get none
Wins: Tied (7 each)
Points Difference: SD +16, SEA +13
Total Tries: SD 67, SEA 61
Try Differential: SD +8, SEA +7
Head-to-Head: Tied 1–1
Final Tiebreaker: Coin toss
Yes. A coin toss could decide it all. But let’s not let it come to that.
This Sunday, it’s us and the Miami Sharks under the lights at Starfire. We need to handle our business in front of our home crowd and punch our playoff ticket ourselves. Every voice, every cheer, every moment matters.
MATCH INFO:
Seattle Seawolves vs. Miami Sharks
📍 Starfire Stadium, Tukwila, WA
🕕 Sunday, June 8, 2025 – Kickoff at 6:00 PM PT
📺 Fox 13, ESPN+, The Rugby Network (International)
Let’s finish strong. Let’s get to the playoffs. Let’s ride.
