Seattle counts cost of slim victory over DC

Seattle did just enough to get past DC by a score of 26-24 at a misty Starfire Stadium on Friday night, but it came at a severe cost. Having already lost a handful of players for the season including captain Riekert Hattingh, Seawolves fans were further deflated by the sight of Olive Kilifi and Tevita Kuridrani carted off with potentially serious leg injuries.

An early penalty gave Mack Mason a routine shot at the posts from which he made no mistake to open the scoring. Both teams resorted to tactical kicking to win territory and after several minutes the result was an equalizing kick from Jason Robertson.

Just after the hydration break Pago Haini was binned for cynical play at the breakdown, and four minutes later Kilifi’s ankle buckled in a scrum and the tighthead prop had to be stretchered from the field in clear distress. Robertson missed a penalty attempt from 45 meters and instead it was Mason who nudged Seattle back in the lead with a three-pointer at the half-hour mark.

Robertson made good to level the scores when the Seawolves made a hash of the restart, but DC soon returned the favor and it cost them interest. Tevita Naqali saw yellow for playing the ball off his feet and from the ensuing lineout, Cameron Orr broke to the short side and spun through a tackle to score.

The scrum continued to plague Seattle and Orr was soon dispatched to the sin bin. Several minutes of stoppage time followed with DC on the attack but the defense held and eventually Robertson settled for three points to leave the score 11-9 in favor of the home side at halftime.

Old Glory came out inspired in the second half. Now back at full strength, the forwards crashed ahead to push into striking range. A wide pass from Connor Buckley found John Powers unmarked in the corner and he snuck in before the cover could arrive. Robertson nailed the sideline conversion to push the visitors ahead by five.

The stretcher was summoned for a second time at the 50-minute mark when Kuridrani’s right leg was caught awkwardly in a tackle. Seattle gritted their teeth and their pack took charge, taking a direct approach until Mahonri Ngakuru punched over for a try to restore their lead.

Mason and Robertson exchanged penalties before Naqali found himself in trouble again, with a second yellow for cynical play earning a permanent dismissal and leaving Old Glory shorthanded for the remainder of the game. Immediately afterwards Monate Akuei scored in his club debut from the driving maul, but Mason’s kick drifted across the face of the posts to leave it a one-score game.

Gradyn Bowd was barely on the pitch with he broke from his own end with a show-and-go. After several phases the ball was flung wide to Collin Grosse, who somehow managed to keep the ball in play while being driven into touch. William Talataina was the recipient and he made the corner. The conversion attempt from Robertson was pushed just left of the posts and time expired before DC would get another chance to score.

It’s a much-needed bye for the Seawolves next week before they return to action for a home game against the Utah Warriors on June 9. Old Glory will target a big score against Anthem next Saturday to ward off any hopes of a late Miami revival.

 

SCORING

SEATTLE 26
Tries (3) – C. Orr (36′), M. Ngakuru (52′), M. Akuei (66′)
Cons (1) – M. Mason 1/3 (53′)
Pens (3) – M. Mason 3/3 (2′, 31′, 56′)
YC (2) – P. Haini (22′), C. Orr (40’+2′)

DC 24
Tries (2) – J. Powers (42′), W. Talataina (76′)
Cons (1) – J. Robertson 1/2 (43′)
Pens (4) – J. Robertson 4/5 (13′, 33′, 40’+8′, 60′)
YC (1) – T. Naqali (35′)
RC (1) – T. Naqali (64′)

LINEUPS

SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Cameron Orr, 2 DaQuan Perry (16 Dewald Donald 44′), 3 Olive Kilifi (18 Chance Wenglewski 26′), 4 Rhyno Herbst, 5 Mahonri Ngakuru (20 Isaia Lotawa 64′), 6 Huw Taylor, 7 Monate Akuei, 8 Pago Haini (16 Dewald Donald 40’+5′-44′) (22 Reid Davis 49′), 9 JP Smith (capt.), 10 Mack Mason, 11 Conner Mooneyham (21 Ryan Rees 75′), 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Tevita Kuridrani (23 Sam Windsor 51′), 14 Lauina Futi, 15 Divan Rossouw

Not used: 17 Kellen Gordon, 19 Taylor Krumrei

OLD GLORY DC
1 Quentin Newcomer (17 Joe Wrafter 58′), 2 Martín Vaca (16 Facundo Gattas 58′), 3 Steven Longwell (18 Cali Martinez 58′), 4 Tevita Naqali, 5 Bill Whiteside, 6 Collin Grosse, 7 Brady Daniel (19 Charlie Overton 78′), 8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (capt.), 9 Connor Buckley (21 Ethan McVeigh 64′), 10 Jason Robertson, 11 Axel Müller, 12 William Talataina, 13 John Powers (22 Gradyn Bowd 73′), 14 John Rizzo (23 Palema Roberts 64′), 15 Perry Humphreys

Not used: 20 Dacoda Worth

MATCH INFO

Date: Friday, May 24
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 19:30 local
Weather: misty, 55°F (13°C), wind S 6-11mph (10-18km/h)

OFFICIALS

Referee: Damián Schneider (Argentina)
Assistants: Marquise Goodwin (USA) & Brian Dusablon (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)

HIGHLIGHTS