Seattle scrums San Diego into submission

The Seattle Seawolves put on a scrumming masterclass at Starfire Stadium, dominating the San Diego Legion by 39-23 to close out a thrilling opening weekend for Major League Rugby. Three penalty tries were the result as the Seawolves pack feasted on their inexperienced opposites from start to finish.

Discipline in the loose will be an area of discussion this week and Seattle gifted Ben Cima three kickable shots at goal in the first half, from which he made two including the game’s first score just a few minutes in. Brock Staller matched his output with the big men up front to thank for the opportunities.

It was men against boys when it came time to pack down. The first try came from a set move on a right side scrum with Staller slicing back inside on an angle to beat the Legion defense clean.

A huge collision between Riekert Hattingh and Chris Turori saw the Seattle captain take the worst of it and his day came to an early end. Instead of shrinking, however, the Seawolves rolled up their sleeves with Vili Toluta’u doing an admirable job as a replacement.