Seattle Seawolves win annual Coffee Cup over New England Free Jacks, 27-24
Hattingh returns, Esdale scores last-minute try
By Uriah Aguon, edited by Charles Hamaker
Tukwila, WA - The Seattle Seawolves’ home opener of the 2025 season was a night of celebration.
In addition to securing a 27-24 win against the New England Free Jacks, the Seawolves celebrated the return of their team captain and the legacy of their mascot.
Before the match, Nic Greer, the original performer for Rucky the Seawolf, was honored as the first inductee to the Seawolves Legends, a series dedicated to those who have left an indelible mark on Seawolves rugby. Greer was credited for creating and bringing to life the costume and character of Rucky, a persona that shines bright during every Seawolves match.
Hype for the game was built up weeks in advance and sky-rocketed again just days prior. Not only was this the team’s annual Coffee Cup match, a game pitting them against their East Coast rival, but it was also team captain Riekert Hattingh’s first game returning from an ACL-tearing injury since May 2024.
Seattle Seawolves captain Riekert Hattingh on crutches ahead of the teams May 24th, 2024 match. (Photo by Liz Wolter for Circling Seattle Sports)
Match recap
Seattle got a rough start to the first half, trading possession with the Free Jacks for the first ten minutes through down-field kicks. New England was first on the scoreboard when it made a clean break through the Seawolves' defensive blind side in the seventh minute. The Free Jacks wasted no time with their opening momentum and reached the far end of the Seawolves' side again in the twelfth minute. New England won a scrum on Seattle's five-meter line, then picked and ran from the rucks until a second try.
Despite a 14-0 deficit, the Seawolves never let themselves buckle under the scoreboard. They kept pace with the Jacks and never lost control of the game. Seattle's grit would pay off in the 15th and 23rd minutes. Seawolves right wing Lauina Futi set the ball down the line for prop Cameron Orr and fullback Divan Rossouw to shorten the gap to 14-10.
Seattle Seawolves prop Cameron Orr scored two tries in this match for the club, providing a valuable boost early on. (Photo provided by Starfire sports through the Seattle Seawolves)
Two missed conversion kicks from fly-half Edward Fouché cost the Seawolves four points and a tie. The Free Jacks, however, were sharper with their opportunities, utilizing a penalty kick in the 25th to reach 17-10. A quick response from Seattle followed in the 27th when Divan Rossouw brought the Seawolves back within two. Fouché missed his third conversion kick, leading all subsequent kicks to be taken by fly-half Rodney Iona.
New England scored its last try in the 30th. Seattle stalled the Free Jacks at 24-15 until halftime.
The Seawolves performed considerably better in the second half. They played with advantage for the first 10 minutes due to a yellow card on New England. Seawolves center Mikaele Kruse scored a try within three minutes, and a made kick from Iona brought the Seawolves to 24-22.
The Seawolves' substitutes introduced in the second half — hooker Dewald Kotze and prop Dewald Donald — built a wall against New England at the try zone, preventing two potential tries. With minutes falling off the clock, the Seawolves fought to gain distance on the Free Jacks' side, eventually breaking through via Malacchi Esdale, a new signing for the Seawolves from summer 2024.
Esdale, who also played for the US Olympic rugby sevens team as recently as this summer, scored his first try with the Seawolves in the 79th minute, securing a last-second win.
Seattle Seawolves wing and 2024 Olympian Malacchi Esdale scores the winning try of the match in the 78th minute. (Photos provided by Starfire sports through the Seattle Seawolves)
Seattle had two opportunities to gain the lead in the 58th and 66th from penalty kicks, but Rodney Iona missed to the side of the post. The Seawolves lost a potential 12 points between Iona and Fouché’s six missed conversion kicks.
Team’s thoughts
Seattle’s win against New England was its first for the season, having lost 24-21 to the Houston SaberCats on March 1st and 40-26 to the San Diego Legion on February 16th, with both of those contests coming on the road.
Addressing the subject, Iona said a win was inevitable, noting the team’s unity and resilience.
“There was a lot of frustration, but today, during the week, we spoke about being on the same page and working for each other. At the start of the second half, we needed to come out firing, and the boys did that. They might have scored first, but we regathered and got on the same page, and got out the win and stuck it to the end.”
In his first game back, Hattingh was excited but honest about not being at 100%, expressing gratitude for his back-row forwards.
“[I’m] not as good as I would like [to be], The other two guys probably picked up a little bit of my slack, so hats off to them. [Overall] I think we did well. The impact players coming on the field and finishing the game — that’s what you want from the subs: to bring the energy for the last 20 minutes.”
Esdale shared a similar gratitude for his teammates clearing a path for his game-winning try.
“My teammates put in the hardship for 75 minutes. They set it all up for me, so I just came in [and] did the easy part. They were dictating everything that we were doing out there and setting up for that last minute.”
Hearing how strong and developed the team’s culture and faith in each other is, Saturday’s win is likely the first of many for the Seattle Seawolves.
Upcoming
The Seattle Seawolves return to the field against RFC Los Angeles at the Wallis Annenberg Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, March 15th, with a kickoff time of 7PM PDT. Los Angeles has started out the season poorly, going winless through their first three matches of the year. While Seattle could be in that position as well, having lost their first two contests of the year and narrowly defeating New England here in their third contest of the 2025 campaign, there is strong momentum on the side of the Seawolves currently because of the win tonight, how it came together, and getting their team captain back. As all matches for MLR are this season, this match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
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Check out our previous Seattle Seawolves articles here.
This is Uriah Aguon’s first article with Circling Seattle Sports, as he joins us to cover the Seawolves and more. Check out his SPU work here.
Photos in this articles provided by Starfire sports on behalf of the Seattle Seawolves
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