Seawolves keep season alive with 28-24 win against Utah Warriors
Nick Boyer debuts as Seattle scrum-half
By Uriah Aguon, edited by Charles Hamaker
Herriman, UT - A shaken roster and a conference-leading opponent faced them in this road contest to start the calendar week, yet our Seattle Seawolves grabbed a much-needed victory to keep themselves alive in hopes of reaching the postseason this year.
The Seawolves defeated the Utah Warriors 28-24 on Monday, May 12th at Zion Banks Stadium as two old rivals added another chapter to their history against each other.
Seattle made significant changes to its lineup for this match, most notably shifting team captain Riekert Hattingh from eight-man to lock and playing freshly signed Nick Boyer at scrum-half in place of recently injured JP Smith and Brock Gallagher.
Boyer was signed by the Seawolves just two days before Monday's match. He was previously unsigned for the 2025 season, acting as a free agent before committing to Seattle.
Boyer started his Major League Rugby career playing two consecutive seasons with the San Diego Legion in 2018 and 2019. He then spent the 2020 season with the Colorado Raptors and the 2021 season with the Miami Sun in the World Tens Series. Returning to MLR, Boyer signed with the Houston SaberCats for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and the Legion again for the 2024 season.
Match recap:
Utah was first to score in the sixth minute. Winning a lineout inside Seattle’s territory, Utah scrum-half Zion Going peeled off of a maul and ran straight into the try zone past Boyer, lock Malembe Mpofu and hooker Dewald Kotze; however, a missed conversion kick by inside center D’Angelo Leula kept the gap at 5-0.
The Seawolves almost conceded a second try in two minutes when Utah lock Matt Jensen slipped through a narrow window in the Seawall and reached Seattle’s 10-meter line, before he was forced to squib kick the ball forward. Seattle fullback Duncan Matthews recovered the ball and started a new series of phases for the Seawolves, ending with a box kick into Utah territory by fly-half Rodney Iona.
The following Utah lineout was penalized for the ball not entering the tunnel straight, starting a pattern of failed lineouts for Utah and successful lineouts for Seattle.
Seattle took the lead when Mpofu scored in the 14th minute underneath the goal post, automatically converting the try, 7-5. Holding the battle inside Utah territory, Seattle was awarded a scrum ten meters away from the try line. Boyer took the ball into the mix, setting up a two-ruck phase from eight-man Olajuwon Noa to Mpofu just over the try line.
Utah’s left wing Joe Manu and captain/fullback Jordan Trainor scored consecutive tries in the 23rd and 33rd minutes. Manu picked up the ball on the openside after a fumble by Rossouw escaping Mattews and flanker Charles Elton. Trainor received the ball from eight-man Lance Williams ahead of Seattle’s 22-meter line and burst forward into the try zone.
Seattle entered halftime behind 17-14 thanks to right wing Lauina Futi scoring a try in the 36th minute. Boyer failed to escape coverage exiting the scrum and handed the ball off to Futi as he ran past, and the Warriors barely caught a glimpse of him as he scored.
The Seawolves were quick to gain territory in the second half, reaching Utah's 22-meter line by the 42nd minute. Distance was gained when outside center Divan Rossouw kicked the ball downfield. It was chased by Matthews but stolen by Utah right wing Nick Benn.
Utah fly-half Joel Hodgson kicked the ball out of the ruck, hoping to gain territory, but Seattle left wing Toni Pulu caught it and set the ball into phase, creating another chance for the Seawolves. Seattle moved the ball forward ten meters, but lost it in the 43rd to Utah's eight-man, Lance Williams.
Earning a scrum from Williams's pick, Seattle tried resetting the ball into phase, but Hodgson intercepted a pass from Boyer to Iona and bolted down the full field to score in the 46th.
Seattle’s battle to regain the ball continued throughout the game. Many of the Seawolves attempts were foiled by handling errors and conceded turnovers in the scrum. Opportunity shifted for the Seawolves when Utah outside center Cole Semu was yellow-carded in the 49th for not dropping back ten meters after an advantage call was given to Seattle.
Playing with a one-man advantage, Seattle opted for slow-built play after recovering another turnover in the ruck. The ball made its way to Pulu, Boyer, and finally to lock Rhyno Herbst before entering another series of phases. Reaching the blindside touchline partly through the 52nd, the ball was kept out of touch by Futi and brought back downfield by Hattingh and loosehead prop Cameron Orr.
Finally, out wide on the openside, Pulu received the ball from Matthews and barely shaved past Trainor to stumble into the try zone. Iona nearly missed the kick by a hair, but the ball ricocheted off the edge of the right post and down the middle to cut the difference to 24-21.
Under heavy pressure from the Warriors, Seattle survived through fierce jackal plays, dominating lineouts, and short power runs by Noa, Herbst, and Rossouw.
There was a close call in the 67th when Trainor squib kicked downfield into the try zone. Matthews chased the ball to the end but did not decide to recover it until Benn appeared behind him and nearly got his hands on it. The referee called for a television match official review, revealing a dead ball.
The final try of the game was scored by Herbst in the 80th minute. With two minutes on the clock and seven meters between them and the try zone, the Seawolves tried pushing forward in a maul after winning another lineout. Stopped in place, Seattle instead sent the ball down the line to Utah's blindside.
Seattle powered through the Utah defense with repeated pick-and-go phases, starting at flanker Devin Short, then to prop Mason Pedersen, to outside center Dan Kriel, to Boyer, Iona, back to Boyer, and then finally Herbst spears over the try line. Iona converted the try, securing Seattle's win by seven.
Although it held the lead for most of the match, Utah played on its heels for almost the full 80 minutes. Seattle retained possession for about 60% of the play action and conquered more than 50% of Utah's territory.
What's next?
The Seattle Seawolves return to the pitch against the San Diego Legion on Saturday, May 17th, at Starfire Stadium in Tukwila, Washington, at 6PM PDT.
San Diego is third in the Western Conference with a 7-0-6 record and 39 table points. The team visits the Seawolves after a 37-20 loss to the Houston SaberCats on May 10th.
Seattle is fifth in the West with a 5-1-6 record and 33 points. Two points behind fourth-place RFC Los Angeles and four games remaining in the season, Seattle is within range of clinching the playoff berth; however, the situation remains dire.
The Seawolves’ previous outing against San Diego was a 40-26 loss on February 16th. Seattle was off the board until the second half, conceding four tries in the first half. Its potential victory will require quick action in open-field play and dominance in lineouts, scums and rucks from kickoff to the final whistle.
Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social
〰️
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.
Cover photo from the Seattle Seawolves twitter, since no photos were provided by the team for this match.
Support the work of Circling Seattle Sports by checking out our merchandise!