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Seattle remain the only team to have lifted the MLR Shield but the shine has well and truly dissipated following the disappointing results of last season. It’s fair to say the Seawolves brand has taken a hit in recent months with the departure of key personnel and there is much work to be done to restore confidence in the listing ship.
2020 RECORD: 1-4 (4th East, 10th overall)
HEAD COACH: It’s hard to say what went wrong for Kees Lensing in his first season in charge. The former Namibia prop was the fifth Head Coach hired by Seattle in three years, though two of those didn’t even make it to the regular season. This year he will be without his assistant Phil Mack who was surprisingly let go and has since joined up with Rugby Canada.
CAPTAIN: If there is a picture of defiance in the team it is the visage of Riekert Hattingh. Had the pandemic not thrown the world off-course the South African eightman might already be an international. A potent runner off the back of the scrum who is an essential part of Seattle’s counter-attack.
STAR PLAYER: There are a handful of names who might qualify here and Ross Neal is one of them. An outside center with the size of his captain, much is expected from the Englishman who spent the off-season playing for London Irish in the Premiership. Injury limited Neal to just 40 minutes in 2020.
KEY DEPARTURE: Another with multiple candidates. Record points scorer Brock Staller is one of them but Stephen Coetzee is arguably the most significant. His physical strength and technical acumen will be sorely missed in the front row. Obert Nortjé is a quality player but a very different style of hooker.
SMART SIGNING: One significant positive from the last few months is the addition of three collegiate draft picks. All are exciting prospects but Aaron Matthews might be the best of the lot. The USA u20 and Saint Mary’s graduate gave fans a preview of his talent at the World Tens Series. A flyhalf or center in college, he will likely feature as an outside back this year.
ONE TO WATCH: This could be a defining season for Eagles international Ben Cima. A prodigious talent as an age-grade player, the Argentine-born flyhalf will shoulder the goal kicking responsibilities and also be be counted on to inspire the backline. At his best a game-changer but Cima hasn’t quite hit his stride on a consistent basis in MLR as of yet.
STRENGTHS: A pair of beefy South African locks and the fearsome Brad Tucker means any team traveling to Starfire Stadium will have to pay a price physically. There is firepower in the back row, two good options at scrumhalf, and the bulging midfield backs might be mistaken for loose forwards.
CONCERNS: Kellen Gordon’s limited availability to start the season leaves them a little thin at loosehead prop. He is also one of several leading players on the wrong side of 30. While the midfield is loaded, the outside backs have been almost completely neglected on the recruitment front.
OUTLOOK: There’s no question the Seawolves are trending downwards. The list of arrivals simply doesn’t match the departures list, and last year showed that changes were needed. A five week road trip to start the season will tell us a lot about their state of mind. That’s not to say Seattle are bound for the bottom, but another title run does not look on the cards this year.
