Seattle Seawolves & Utah Warriors

The Seattle Seawolves defeated the Utah Warriors 41-32 on Sunday, May 20. The Seawolves are in second place in the league, while the Warriors fall to fifth.

Match Recap

Kurt Morath kicked to begin the match and Seattle recovered. A clearance kick by Seattle was blocked and Joseph Nicholls ran the ball inside the Seattle 22-meters. A penalty at the breakdown had Utah kicking for touch and resulted in a Lote Tu’ipulotou try for a 5-0 lead. Kurt Morath then missed the conversion.

Following a Seattle attack, Don Pati fielded a kick and after a break offloaded to Tonata Lauti. Kurt Morath then chipped ahead, but Seattle was penalized. Morath then slotted the kick increasing the lead to 8-0.

Peter Smith pinned the Warriors deep on the restart and Peter Tiberio attacked from the Utah clearance kick with William Rasileka finishing for a try. Peter Smith slotted the conversion to narrow the score to 8-7.

Seattle attacked from a breakdown and George Barton found a gap and offloaded to Mat Turner for a try. Smith again converted and quickly the Seawolves had their first lead 14-8.

The Seawolves were penalized and Utah kicked for touch. From a 5-meter lineout. the Warriors surprised the Seawolves that they didn’t maul. Instead, Lance Williams passed inside to Lote Tu’ipulotu who went blind for a try, narrowing the lead to 14-13. The kick from Morath from touch went wide right.

Seattle advanced the ball to the Utah 22-meters, but an obstruction call allowed the Warriors to clear to the Seawolves 10-meter line. The Utah Warriors went through multiple phases before a turnover allowed the Seawolves to clear. Utah again attacked through multiple phases moving the ball to within 5-meters. The Seattle defense was stellar with the Warriors losing ground before a turnover had the Seawolves counter-attacking. Peter Smith then kicked ahead with the ball bouncing into touch inside the Warriors 22-meters.

Shortly after the ensuing Utah lineout, a penalty had Peter Smith slotting a kick, increasing the lead to 17-13.

From the restart, Phil Mack found a gap piercing the the Warriors defense. Vili Toluta’u took a quick tap inn for a try, increasing the lead to 22-13.

The Seattle Seawolves attacked again moving the ball to within 5-meters of the line before losing the ball forward, allowing a Utah clearance kick. The Seawolves mauled after the lineout, but lost the ball forward just outside the Warriors 22-meters. The Warriors won the scrum and Fetu’u Vainikolo found a gap and an Alex Tucci offlaod to Tonata Lauti had him finish for a try. Morath then slotted the kick to narrow the lead to 24-20.

From the restart, the Warriors were called for being offsides on the clearance kick. Brock Staller slotted the kick increasing the lead to 27-20.

The restart went to Utah for one last attack with no time remaining before the break. The attack did not result in points and at the break the Seawolves led 27-20.

The first half was a fast paced one, with both sides playing attacking rugby. The Seattle defense was stellar with Peter Tiberio a key player during the ahlf. He made five tackles in thwarting the Warriors from a sustained drive. He also set up the William Rasileka try.

Utah had several sustained possessions and without a couple of handling errors or penalties at key times may have led at the break. Credit the Seawolves defense and the penetrating attacks from restarts for the lead.

Second Half

Seattle kicked to begin the half and Utah moved the ball wide left inside midfield. The team constinued through multiple phases, but Alex Tucci was called for not releasing the ball at the Seawolves 22-meters. The Seawolves then were also called for not releasing. Although it was within Kurt Morath’s range, the decison was made to kick for touch and after the lineout, Paul Lasike knocked on.

Peter Tiberio ran for about 80 meters and Don Pati saved the score. Utah used a scrum, a run from Lasike and a kick by Morath to clear the ball to their 10-meter line. Another sustained attack by the Warriors was thwarted with a breakdown penalty by MacLellan.

After a brief Seawolves attack, the Warriors again moved the ball inside the Seawolves 22-meters. A pass by Morath was intercepted by Staller and soon after resulted in a Seawolves scrum. Mat Turner moved the ball to midfield and a tackle by Tameilau, reulted in a turnover to Utah. A penalty by Seattle had Mortah kciking for touch and after the lineout inside the 22-meters, the team was penalized. Mack took a quick tap and kicked ahead. The Seawolves turned over the possession and Eric Duechle had two carries before Phil Mack finished with a try. Staller then converted, increasing the lead to 34-20.

The Seawolves continued to exert pressure with the Vili Toluta’u grounding the ball in the corner for a try. Staller then slotted the convdersion from touch for a 41-20 lead.

Utah attacked from the restart with a strong Vainikolo run. Again a knock on briefly stopped their attack. A The Warriors could not take advantage of a penalty by the Seawolves and Mack cleared, and Don pati attacked before a forward pass gave the ball back to Seattle briefly and cleared. Paul Lasike found a gap and Ara Elkington finished with a try in the corner to narrow the lead to 41-25. Morath conversion attempt went wide right.

From the restart, Saia ‘Uhila had a strong run inside the 22-meters of the Seawolves. Some back and forth play then ensued. The Utah Warriors then had some exciting stepping and ball movement, but again a knock on gave the Seattle a scrum.

The Seawolves used the scrum to attack deep, but were penalized allowing the Warriros to clear. The Warriors then moved the ball to within 8 meters of the line, before a turnover allowed the Seawolves to clear.

A Vili Toluta’u long throw went into the had=nds of Paki Afu for an easy try and after the Morath conversion the score was 41-32. That the way it would end with the Seawolves record improving to 3-1 and the Warriors record 1-3. Both teams were able to gain bonus points, so the Seawolves retain second place with 16 points. The Utah Warriors are in fifth place with 9 points, 2 points behind NOLA Gold and the San Diego Legion.

Peter Tiberio was named Man of the Match.

Seattle Seawolves & Utah Warriors Squads

Seattle Seawolves: 1 Olive Kilifi 2 Dan Trierweiler 3 Tim Metcher 4 Taylor Krumrei 5 Cam Polson 6 Aladdin Schirmer (VC) 7 Vili Toluta’u 8 Riekert Hattingh (C) 9 Phil Mack 10 Peter Smith 11 Peter Tiberio 12 George Barton 13 William Rasileka 14 Brock Staller 15 Mat Turner 16 Kellen Gordon 17 Larome White 18 John Hayden 19 Eric Dueschle 20 Cole Van Harn 21 Will Holder 22 Jeremy Misailegalu 23 Sequoyah Burke-Combs

Utah Warriors: 1 Alex Tucci, 2 Lote Tu’ipulotu, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 Matt Jensen, 5 Saia Uhila, (VC) 6 Lance Williams, 7 Ara Elkington, 8 Tevita ‘David’ Tameilau, 9 Joseph Nicholls, 10 Kurt Morath, 11 Tonata Lauti, 12 Paul Lasike (capt.), 13 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 14 Josh Anderson, 15 Don Pati 16 Tino Mafi 17 Maka Tameilau 18 Les Soloai 19 Maika Hafoka, 20 John Cullen 21 Alekisa Kalougata 22 Paki Afu, 23 Ben Nicholls, + Head Coach Alf Daniels