Seawolves defeat league-leading Chicago Hounds, 28-22
Winning record continues against East Coast contender
By Uriah Aguon, edited by Charles Hamaker
Tukwila, WA - It may be a rough season, but this could be the start of a revival.
Returning from a bye week, our Seattle Seawolves defeated the Chicago Hounds by a score of 28-22 tonight on Friday, April 18th.
Chicago entered Friday’s match leading the Major League Rugby table on a six-game winning streak, with a 7-1 record, and 32 table points. Seattle carried a 2-5 record, setting up what could have been the Hounds’ first-ever win against the Seawolves on paper.
Instead, the Hounds conceded an early lead and left Stafire Stadium with a close-call loss and perhaps some thoughts of “what just happened?”
A few days before this match took place, Seattle Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch and University of Washington football alum Marcus Peters joined the investors group of the Seattle Seawolves, The two, as well as Seattle Seahawks legend and current Washington Commanders middle linebacker Bobby Wagner were seen on the field at Starfire Stadium before the match. (Photos by Connor Jalbert, courtesy of the Seattle Seawolves)
Match recap
This contest was scrum-half JP Smith’s 100th MLR match played, as he became the first player in Major League Rugby to reach that milestone with a single team.
Well-rested and ready to defend their home, the Seawolves were heavy on the attack immediately from kickoff.
Seattle’s runs were kept short by Chicago’s stern defense. Repeated attempts to pierce the Hounds’ shield via multiple consecutive rucks led to an advantage for Seattle when Chicago was penalized for not rolling out. Fly-half Rodney Iona put Seattle’s first three points on the board with a penalty conversion kick in the seventh minute.
The first half quickly turned into a battle of kicks, each side trading box kicks for distance. Known for its physical strength, Chicago locked Seattle in phases between the teams’ 10-meter lines. Seattle’s Seawall held equally strong, preventing the Hounds from gaining any more meters than they were losing.
The standoff at halfway tipped once again in Seattle’s favor in the ninth minute. Right wing Lauina Futi intercepted a Chicago pass by the touchline and ran to within ten meters of the try zone. Wrapped up by Chicago vice captain and center Bruce Campbell, Futi handed off the ball to fullback Divan Rossouw. A short dash over the try line put Seattle in the lead 8-0.
Chicago forced the Seawolves onto their try line in the 15th. The Hounds inched closer and closer down the midfield before launching a long pass to center Mark O’Keeffe on Seattle’s open side. O’Keeffe stiff-armed Futi and ducked under Rossouw to slide just over the try line.
The Seawall continued to stall the Hounds for the next 12 minutes, pushing their phases back or out to the side. As fatigue settled in for both sides, slower play down the middle of the field led to small mistakes on the ball and in the rucks. Slow reactions gave Seattle a penalty for tackling a downed player, which Chicago used for a conversion kick and tied the score 8-8.
Seattle fought for advantage the next few minutes, stealing possessions in the rucks and unprotected tackles. Chicago had the Seawolves against the wall again in the 33rd, nearly reaching the goal line for another try. The Hounds earned a free kick outside Seattle’s 22-meter line after Futi was penalized for an illegal tackle.
Aiming for a lineout, the Hounds’ fly-half, Tim Swiel, overshot the kick. The Hounds received the ball at the halfway line and got their lineout shortly after.
Seattle stole possession from the lineout and wasted no time rushing into the Hounds’ territory. Rossouw received the ball in two passes and crossed the Hounds’ 18-meter line before handing off to Futi, who was taken down little over a dozen meters later. From the ruck, Smith sent a long pass to tighthead lock Rhyno Herbst on the open side. As the Hounds crowded, Herbst handed the ball off to team captain and eight-man Riekert Hattingh, who dropped into the try zone in the final seconds of the 38th.
Iona’s conversion kick sent the Seawolves into halftime with a 15-8 lead.
Sights and scenes from the match as our Seattle Seawolves defeated the MLR leading Chicago Hounds by a final score of 28-22 at Starfire Stadium on Friday, April 18th, 2025. (Photos by Connor Jalbert, courtesy of the Seattle Seawolves)
Seattle was the dominant team at the start of the half, running the ball into Chicago territory on every possession. The Seawall locked the Hounds out of Seattle territory for the first 10 minutes of the half. Confident with their lead, the Seawolves engaged in faster offensive play, moving the ball end to end and maintaining small windows. While Seattle kept the ball away from Chicago at first, the faster pace soon led to consecutive knock-ons and dropped catches throughout the rest of the game.
Keeping their energy from the first half, Chicago fired fiercely into the Seawall at the cost of its offense opening up. This aggression quickly backfired when Swiel was red-carded on a high tackle in the 46th. His ejection gave Seattle a penalty conversion kick, which Iona made to raise the score to 18-8.
Despite playing with a one-man advantage, Seattle started losing territory to the Hounds and conceded a try in the 56th. Chicago’s team captain and tighthead flanker Lucas Rumball received the ball after a long series of phases from end to end outside of Seattle’s 22-meter and leaned over the try line with the Seawall right on top of him.
In quick response, Seattle launched into Chicago territory and won another penalty conversion when Campbell was yellow-carded in the 60th. Iona kicked again to extend Seattle’s lead from 18-15 to 21-15. With now a two-man advantage, the Seawolves rushed ahead and scored their last try of the game within 50 seconds after the hydration break.
Hooker Dewald Kotze picked up an overshot ball from a Chicago lineout. Smith sent the ball down the line to Iona, then Rossouw and fullback Duncan Matthews, and then finally, Futi made a clean break down the touch line. With another good kick from Iona, Seattle led 28-15 with 17 minutes remaining.
Chicago saw hope in the 66th with two lineouts five meters from Seattle’s try line. One phase out of the second lineout, Chicago received a penalty for an illegal tackle and was pushed back into its territory. Seattle’s advantage ended in the final 10 minutes when Swiel and Campbell re-entered the match; however, the Seawolves’ continuous pressure kept the Hounds from utilizing their full 15.
The Hounds almost conceded another try in the 72nd when Rossouw and flanker Devin Short each made runs toward the try line but were stopped just meters away. Resuming the battle over the halfway line, Chicago finally gained some distance via its right wing, Noah Brown. Brown made it onto the Seawolves’ 10-meter line before going down.
A pass to the open side sent utility back Michael Baska running down the touch line before handing it off to scrum-half Jason Higgins. Fly-half Chris Hilsenbeck made the final conversion kick of the game that brought Chicago within six points.
Some post match sights and scenes as our Seattle Seawolves defeated the MLR leading Chicago Hounds by a final score of 28-22 at Starfire Stadium on Friday, April 18th, 2025. (Photos by Connor Jalbert, courtesy of the Seattle Seawolves)
What’s next?
The Seawolves’ next match is against Anthem RC at the Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina, on Wednesday, April 23, at 4:30PM PDT, which will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Anthem is currently sixth in the MLR Eastern Conference — still winless with a 0-9 record and five table points — and coming off a 26-6 loss to the New England Free Jacks on April 18.
Seattle is fifth in the MLR Western Conference with a 3-5 record and 19 points. Its previous encounter with Anthem on March 29 resulted in a 25-17 comeback win. The Seawolves conceded territory and points throughout the game due to multiple high-tackle penalties and four missed conversion kicks.
If their performance against Chicago says anything, the Seawolves are still making corrections, a powerful force on the field, and capable of hard-fought wins.
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Check out our previous Seattle Seawolves articles here.
Check out our previous articles written by Uriah Aguon here, and his SPU work here.
Photos in this article by Connor Jalbert courtesy of the Seattle Seawolves
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