The Seattle Seawolves signed Reid Watkins through the 2024 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old scrumhalf (28 in June) is 5’10” and 185 lbs.
Reid was a late-season addition to the Toronto Arrows for the last two matches but did not see regular-season action.
He is from Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, and attended Holy Trinity Academy from 2010-2012, where he was a two-time Canadian High School Wrestling champion. He began playing rugby with Foothills U14 Lions, which was from Okotoks. He competed in the High school provincial championship, the Canadian Junior National Wrestling competition, and won the Pan-American wrestling championship while in high school. Following the tournament, he traveled to England with Team Canada in rugby.
Reid attended Simon Fraser University from 2012-2017, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomechanical Physiology and Kinesiology. He was selected to the Canadian All-American team in wrestling, while a member of the university team, and represented Canada at the World Championships.
He was a wrestling referee with the British Columbia Wrestling Association, a coach with the Okotoks Wrestling Club, and a rugby coach with Foothills Lions Rugby Club.
Reid played representative rugby with the British Columbia Bears, including in the CRC Final in 2019, and against the RAF in their centenary tour. He played club rugby with the Calgary Hornets and Burnaby Lake RFC, played with the British Columbia All-Stars, Vancouver Island Crimson Tide, and the Vancouver Wave. In 2019 he played with the USA Rugby South Panthers in their match against the Cayman Islands, and in 2021 for the Hartford Harpooners against Colorado XO.
In March 2021, he joined the Rugby ATL Pathway 404 Academy and returned to Pathway 404 Fall 2021 after signing with the Toronto Arrows MLR professional team for their remaining two 2021 regular-season matches. He also played with the Vancouver Wave in the Coastal Cup in Fall 2021.
Seattle Seawolves Comments
The Seattle Seawolves have signed Canadian-born scrumhalf Reid Watkins through 2024.
“Reid’s path to the MLR has been one of sacrifice and dedication,” said Seawolves director of rugby and head coach Allen Clarke. “He’s an exciting scrumhalf who has worked hard to obtain a first professional contract with the Seawolves. As a crossover athlete from wrestling, he is no stranger to what it takes to be successful in elite sport having won four National Golds, a Pan American Championship, and competed at the World Championships. I’m looking forward to seeing his development and impact with the Seawolves over the next three years.”
“The energy coming from the Seawolves organization makes it impossible to not be excited about the upcoming season,” said Watkins. “The PNW is where I call home, so I am even more thrilled to be back playing rugby in my backyard.”
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