Seawolves end away-game drought with emphatic win over Anthem RC
Seattle first to score 60 points in 2025
By Uriah Aguon
Matthews, NC - After seven road trips, the Seattle Seawolves finally bring home a win away from Starfire Stadium.
Our Seawolves defeated Anthem RC by a final score of 60-19 on Wednesday, April 23rd. This was the first 60-point match of Major League Rugby in 2025 and the Seawolves' first away-game win since their 23-13 victory against the Utah Warriors last season on March 16th, 2024.
Firing on all cylinders from start to finish, Seattle built an early lead and rode the momentum the rest of the way.
Match recap:
Seattle wasted no time off the whistle, keeping play action inside of Anthem territory during the opening minutes.
Five minutes into the match, Seattle had already won three lineouts and one scrum. Out of the third lineout, loosehead prop Cameron Orr took the ball forward to within seven meters of the try line. A failed pass to scrum-half JP Smith sent the ball back into Orr’s hands. It was then immediately handed off to right wing Lauina Futi, who threw himself over the try line with two Anthem players latched into him.
Fly-half Rodney Iona gave Seattle a 7-0 lead with the conversion kick.
Anthem was quick to respond, reaching Seattle’s 22-meter and nearly broke away twice between the sixth and 11th minutes.
The first break was a botched pass that bounced off the shoulder of loosehead lock Olajuwon Noa and was just barely saved by Futi before an Anthem player could steal possession. Anthem’s second chance was a run down the touch line which gained just short of 12 meters.
Former Seawolf wing Conner Mooneyham — now playing for Anthem — sprang through a large window in the Seawall in the 14th and 17th but was tackled by left wing Malachi Esdale in front of the 22 and Noa just after the halfway line.
Futi almost scored another try in the 18th, chasing his own short kick down the touch line, but the ball was picked by an Anthem player and kicked into touch across the field.
Out of the lineout, fullback Duncan Matthews sent a through pass to lock Rhyno Herbst. Center Dan Kriel received the ball next and gave it to team captain and eight-man Riekert Hattingh to finish. Iona missed the kick, but Seattle still led 12-0.
Immediately from the reset, Hattingh sprinted 18 meters into Anthem territory. As the defenders gathered, the ball made its way across the field to Smith, to fly-half Divan Rossouw, to Matthews, and finally to Esdale. With an open path in front of him, Esdale strode into the try zone with no one to stop him.
Anthem's first try was scored in the late 23rd by fullback Jerad Latu. Latu received the ball down the line from scrum-half Carlo de Nysschen and hooker Ethan Howard. Anthem's fly-half Cam Gerlach made the kick, making the score 17-7.
Unreflected by the scoreboard, Anthem was a breakaway threat throughout the game. Finding windows big and small through the Seawall and stealing substantial meters before getting pushed back.
Despite bold attempts from Anthem, the Seawolves returned across the halfway line in the 27th minute. Stopped in midfield, Matthews passed the ball to Futi on the right, who short kicked it to Esdale near the touch line. After a short run, the ball was given to Matthews and then to Smith, whose try earned a bonus table point for Seattle.
Both teams were visibly fatigued by the final stretch of the first half, each having only a few days’ rest since their last matches. Anthem started playing desperately near the end of the half, receiving three warnings for various disciplinary issues. Seattle, however, was performing arguably the best it had in weeks, already notching the bonus point before the 30th minute.
Two phases out of a lineout in the 33rd, Smith passed the ball to Kriel, then Kriel passed to Iona, who box kicked the ball in front of the try line. Right wing Jeremiah Sio — subbed in for Futi — caught the ball and curved into the try zone. Iona’s kick brought the score to 31-7.
Anthem scored in the 37th after consecutive phases got them to within inches of the try line. Left wing Jason Tidwell picked and ran the ball out of the ruck and fell into the try zone.
Seattle nearly scored its sixth try in the 40th, sending the ball in phases toward the open side. A long pass to the touch line was received by Sio, who could not find his balance and stepped into touch, ending the last play of the first half.
The Seawolves’ 31-14 lead at halftime and lack of knock-ons showed their improved passing coordination. Anthem comparatively had a harder time moving the ball around, knocking the ball on four times in the first half and dropping the ball out of tackles throughout the match.
Anthem held even against Seattle as the second half started. After the 43rd, however, Seattle returned to being the dominant force. In the 48th, Hattingh barrelled into the try zone, but was held off the ground by Anthem inside center EJ Freeman and lock Javon Camp-Villalovos
Seattle’s luck continued when Howard was yellow-carded in the 49th for a late tackle on Iona, who utilized the penalty for a conversion kick and made the score 34-14.
Scrum-half Brock Gallagher — subbed in for Smith near the end of the first half — scored Seattle’s seventh try in the 54th. Gallagher passed the ball to Kriel out of the scrum. It was sent to Iona, Esdale, Matthews, and then back to Gallagher on the inside. Then, all it took was a short dash into the try zone, and Seattle led 41-14.
Anthem caught a break in the 59th. From the 56th to the 58th, the teams were stuck in the mud due to two failed scrums. When play action resumed, Gallagher ran downfield and handed off to Matthews, who nearly scored before the play was reset for another scrum.
After almost 10 scoreless minutes, Seattle struck again. The Seawolves were trapped in phases on the blind side, so Gallagher sent the ball out the back to Kriel, who dashed through three Anthem defenders and over the try line in the 62nd.
Mooneyham followed suit, scoring one last try for Anthem in the 69th, intercepting a pass from center Eduard Fouché around the halfway line.
Leading 48-19, Seattle was still not satisfied and scored twice more before the final whistle. Hooker Kerron van Vuuren — subbed in for Dewald Kotze — scored in the 77th when Seattle went from a lineout into a maul and dropped after the try line. Iona’s kick made the score 55-19.
Battling to prevent the Seawolves from another try, Mooneyham was yellow-carded in the 79th for being offside during the lineout. Following the restart, Rossouw passed to Matthews, who scored Seattle’s last try of the match. Iona missed the final kick, and the whistle blew.
What's next?
Following this big time road victory, the next match for our Seattle Seawolves is against the New Orleans Gold on Sunday, April 27th, at The Gold Mine at the Shrine on Airline in Metairie, Louisiana, at 1PM PDT.
New Orleans is fourth in the MLR Eastern Conference with a 3-6 and 22 table points. The team encounters the Seawolves following a 17-15 loss against the Houston SaberCats on April 19th.
Seattle is fifth in the MLR Western Conference with a 4-5 record and 24 points, and is hoping that the past two victories is a sign that they’re heading in the right direction following a difficult start to the 2025 season.
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Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️
Check out our previous Seattle Seawolves articles here.
Check out our previous articles written by Uriah Aguon here, and his SPU work here.
Photo in this article from the Seattle Seawolves
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