Richie Walker will leave his role as Head Coach of the Seattle Seawolves at the end of the Major League Rugby season. The New Zealand native will return home to Auckland where he will take over the Auckland Storm in the country’s top women’s rugby competition, the Farah Palmer Cup.
It’s another twist in what has become a frustrating episode for Seawolves fans. Previous attempts to bring in Tony Healy from Canada and subsequently Anton Moolman from South Africa failed due to visa complications. Instead Phil Mack led the side to the inaugural MLR Shield title in 2018, and Walker stepped in at the 11th hour ahead of the current campaign.
After a rocky start to the season, the Seawolves have rebounded and are now in third place with four matches to play. They will be boosted in the final month of the regular season by the addition of Eagles lock Samu Manoa and the return of star flanker Vili Toluta’u from injury.