Seattle Seawolves Earn Franchise’s First Victory in Debut of Major League Rugby

Seawolves Wing Brock Staller celebrates with teammates after scoring the first try of the game. (Quinn Width / Width Photography)

SEATTLE – Sunny skies and an electric crowd: you couldn’t have asked for more as the Seattle Seawolves notched the franchise’s first victory
in front of a sold-out crowd at Starfire Stadium. 

In a game dominated by the Seawolves forward pack, Seattle took down the San Diego Legion with a final score of
39-23. The Seawolves scrum and the energetic crowd were the two biggest stories of the day, with the Seattle forward pack overwhelming San Diego, leading
to three penalty tries and the sold-out crowd of over 3,500 fans losing their collective mind over the debut of Major League Rugby (MLR).

Although the Legion were able to get on the board first with a penalty kick from Ben Cima in the 5th minute, just minutes later their scrum was pushed straight back from the Seawolves forwards and Seattle was able to earn the ball back for
a penalty kick from Brock Staller to tie the game up.

Mid-way through the first half, Staller fired the crowd up again by scoring the first-ever try for the Seawolves. Following an offload from Will Holder,
Staller hit the line at pace and ripped through the San Diego defense to score the franchise’s first try.

Shortly after Staller’s try, the Seattle forwards took over the game. With the Ivar’s Restaurant Leader of the Forward Pack Tim Metcher leading the way, the Seawolves earned a massive three penalty tries by
overwhelming the San Diego scrum throughout the course of the game. Combined with the dominant forward play, the Virginia Mason Alpha Back of the Match Mat Turner was able to keep the Seawolves try zone safe under pressure and lead the back-line in attacking up the field. For all of their efforts, the Seattle
Seawolves were named MLR Team of the Week and
player-coach Phil Mack picked up MLR Player of the Week.
You can watch a full replay of the match on the official Major League Rugby YouTube channel here.

In addition to the dominant forward play from the Seawolves, the lively crowd finished out the equation for a perfect home-opener, flourishing in the sunny weather and showing their support at any opportunity they got. The positive energy exuding from the crowd was apparent, with fans of the sport new and old erupting in cheers as the final whistle blew and the Seawolves took their victory lap around the pitch.

The Seawolves now look to defending their top-ranked position in the MLR standings at home as the Glendale Raptors travel to Seattle on Saturday, April 28th to face off in the CBS Sports Game of the Week. Tickets for the game are sold-out, but North American viewers still catch kick-off by tuning into CBS Sports Network at 7:30 PM PST, and International viewers can watch the stream via Major League Rugby’s Facebook page. Don’t forget to follow the Seattle Seawolves on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for the latest news on Seattle’s newest professional sports team.

ABOUT THE SEATTLE SEAWOLVES 

A founding member of Major League Rugby (MLR), the Seattle Seawolves kick off their inaugural season in 2018 at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington.
With an ownership group led by Seattle-based entrepreneurs Adrian Balfour and Shane Skinner, the organization strives to develop, cultivate and expand
the game of rugby in the U.S. while fostering discipline, duty, respect and a spirit of inclusion both on and off the pitch. Through community outreach
efforts, the Seattle Seawolves fulfill a key pillar of the franchise’s philosophy, enriching the Puget Sound region’s youth through engagement, leadership,
and service. Select Major League Rugby games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network as part of an exclusive, multi-year television partnership
between MLR and the television network. Season tickets are now on sale; to purchase, please visit www.SeattleSeawolves.com.

Media Contacts:

Carly MacKinnon, Carly@SeattleSeawolves.com

Marketing & PR Coordinator, Seattle Seawolves

Kimberly Veale, KVeale@Force10Sports.com

Force 10 Sports Management, Communications Director