Seawolves pull away in second half from Ironworkers for season opening win
By Charles Hamaker
Tukwila, WA – A rematch of the 2022 MLR Title match and two of the top teams in all the league saw the Seattle Seawolves emerge victorious over the Rugby New York Ironworkers. A tight battle at the halfway mark of the match, flyhalf Jordan Chait’s 18 total points in his Seawolves regular season debut were critical as Seattle pulled away in the final 40 minutes. Duncan Matthews, building off a strong preseason, scored the only try of the night for Seattle to put the game out of reach and open the 2023 campaign with a victory. With a reloaded roster and the core group of key contributors still on the team, the Seawolves made a statement in week one that they are a team to watch this season.
Rucky the Seawolf and the Seawolves players come out for player introductions (Photos by Liz Wolter)
Jordan just does it
Flyhalf and young star Jordan Chait was a late addition to this Seawolves roster, being signed right as the preseason was really getting underway for Seattle. Head coach Allen Clarke raved about his all-around ability when the signing was made official, and part of the reason why was displayed in this big season opening win against New York. As the Seawolves were able to force the Ironworkers into 17 penalties, Chait converted all six of the penalty goal kicks that he attempted and totaled 18 points for his new team. With MLR point leader AJ Alatimu on the roster and draft pick Shane Barry in the position group as well, Seattle is well stocked at the fly half and half backs group.
Seattle flyhalf Jordan Chait was 6-6 on penalty goal kicks (Photo by Liz Wolter)
Holding the reigning champs to 11 points
This matchup between two of MLR’s toughest teams was primed to be a good one, with some of the league's best scorers in Seattle’s Alatimu, Riekert Hattingh, and New York’s Ed Fidow all at the top of the MLR in respective offensive stats. Seattle was able to stay structured defensively and play their game, staying disciplined and taking advantage of the undisciplined mistakes that New York made. With a bit of help thanks to their own possession of the ball, leading in lineouts and scrums, Seattle never let the Ironworkers get into any sort of groove and were able to make their chances count when they came around.
New York captain Nate Brakeley and Seattle captain Riekert Hattingh speak with an official (Photo by Liz Wolter)
What’s next?
The Seawolves continue the start of their 2023 campaign at home, as they will host Rugby Atlanta on February 24th. Match start time at Starfire Sports Stadium will be 7:30PM PST, as the match itself will be broadcast on Root Sports and the Rugby Network. Seattle and Atlanta will face off for the first time since 2021, when the Seawolves were blown out at home. Seattle has never beaten Atlanta before in MLR, as they have only been scheduled to battle twice and the second time was cancelled during the 2020 season.