MLR 2026 Semi Final 1: Seattle Seawolves vs California Legion – ARN Guide

As fate would have it this year’s Major League Rugby Semi Finals feature would-be West and East divisional matchups. The first clash also happens to be a rematch of last week’s clash in Seattle. On that day the Seawolves were the better side and convincingly so, but a beefed-up Legion lineup presents a very different challenge on Sunday.

FORM GUIDE

2nd, 6-4-0, Won 2
06/07 – Seawolves 33 vs 19 Legion (Tukwila)
05/31 – Seawolves 36 vs 28 Free Jacks (Tukwila)
05/24 – Hounds 57 vs 17 Seawolves (Bridgeview)
05/17 – Seawolves 57 vs 21 Anthem (Tukwila)
05/10 – Old Glory 25 vs 30 Seawolves (Fairfax)
05/03 – Free Jacks 11 vs 27 Seawolves (Quincy)
04/24 – Seawolves 22 vs 59 Hounds (Tukwila)
04/19 – Legion 38 vs 31 Seawolves (Los Angeles)
04/12 – Anthem 34 vs 25 Seawolves (Charlotte)
04/03 – Seawolves 33 vs 16 Old Glory (Tukwila)

3rd, 5-5-0, Lost 1
06/07 – Seawolves 33 vs 19 Legion (Tukwila)
05/31 – Anthem 26 vs 55 Legion (Charlotte)
05/24 – Legion 42 vs 10 Old Glory (Sacramento)
05/16 – Legion 26 vs 36 Hounds (Moraga)
05/09 – Free Jacks 26 vs 21 Legion (Quincy)
04/26 – Old Glory 23 vs 36 Legion (Fairfax)
04/19 – Legion 38 vs 31 Seawolves (Los Angeles)
04/12 – Hounds 48 vs 24 Legion (Bridgeview)
04/04 – Legion 43 vs 5 Free Jacks (San Diego)
03/28 – Legion 26 vs 39 Anthem (Irvine)

STARTING LINEUP CHANGES

	IN	OUT
2	Dewald Kotze	Sean McNulty
8	Tia’i Vavao	Riekert Hattingh
11	Rufus McLean	JP Smith

	IN	OUT
1	Ma’ake Muti	Michael Scott
4	Keni Nasoqeqe	Ronan Murphy
8	Ben Houston	Cyrille Cama
13	Cassh Maluia	Nick Chan
14	Oscar Treacy	Corbin Smith
15	Rory van Vugt	Steffan Crimp

NOTES

• Injured / unavailable – (Seawolves) Sean McNulty, Ignacio Péculo, Harison Mataele, Riekert Hattingh, Mark Bennett; (Legion) Ben Sugars, Christian Poidevin, Ryan James
• Seattle captain Riekert Hattingh is ruled out due to concussion protocol… his place at the back of the scrum goes to rookie Vai’i Vavao, who is making just his second pro start… the first came at flanker against DC last month
• hooker Sean McNulty is also out, leaving the squad short on conventional forward cover… it’s a 4/4 split on the bench though scrumhalf Nick Boyer and winger Drake Davis both have the physical dimensions to cover at flanker in an emergency
• on the plus side, Eagles flyer Rufus McLean gets his first start of the campaign after coming on as a replacement last weekend… McLean gives the team a new strike runner where JP Smith had been operating as a second fullback for much of the campaign
• Steve Hoiles has made six changes to his Legion with size a clear theme in the selection
• Keni Nasoqeqe and Ben Houston bolster the lineout and are both formidable ball carriers… while Cassh Maluia, Oscar Treacy, and Rory van Vugt add physical presence to the backline
• van Vugt returns to the California lineup after a four-game absence

PREDICTION

It will be warmer, California-like conditions on Sunday night, with only a slight breeze. The loss of Hattingh is a cruel blow to the Seawolves, but they are a quality outfit and McLean certainly adds a new threat on the wing. Expect a more direct attack from the Legion this week, with Houston and Maluia testing the gainline. On paper it’s a more potent California side which is likely to make this one a nail-biter. Seattle are slight favorites at home in Tukwila.

TEAMS

SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 2 Dewald Kotze, 3 Mason Pedersen, 4 Callum Botchar, 5 Rhyno Herbst, 6 Marno Redelinghuys (capt.), 7 Paddy Ryan, 8 Tia’i Vavao, 9 André Warner, 10 Davy Coetzer, 11 Rufus McLean, 12 Dan Kriel, 13 Divan Rossouw, 14 Lauina Futi, 15 Duncan Matthews

Replacements: 16 Liki Chan-Tung, 17 LaRome White, 18 Charlie Walsh, 19 Kalisi Moli, 20 Nick Boyer, 21 JP Smith, 22 Dorian Jones, 23 Drake Davis

CALIFORNIA LEGION
1 Ma’ake Muti, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 3 Tonga Kofe, 4 Keni Nasoqeqe, 5 Jason Damm (capt.), 6 Lance Williams, 7 Ed Timpson, 8 Ben Houston, 9 Gonzalo Bertranou, 10 Coby Miln, 11 Joe Mano, 12 Billy Meakes, 13 Cassh Maluia, 14 Oscar Treacy, 15 Rory van Vugt

Replacements: 16 Ale Lopeti, 17 Declan Leaney, 18 Justus Tavai, 19 Ronan Murphy, 20 Cyrille Cama, 21 Tas Smith, 22 Corbin Smith, 23 Cole Semu

MATCH INFO

Date: Sunday, June 7
Venue: Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Kickoff: 19:30 local (22:30 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 79°F (26°C), wind N 5-8 mph (8-12 km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN 2 / ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports (International), Kong 6 (Local)

OFFICIALS

Referee: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada)
Assistants: Peter Pender (Canada) & Shanda Assmus (Canada)
TMO: n/a

HISTORY

HEAD-TO-HEAD (2) – Legion 1, Seawolves 1
2026-06-07 – Seattle Seawolves 33, California Legion 19 (Tukwila)
2026-04-19 – California Legion 38, Seattle Seawolves 31 (Los Angeles)