MATCH WEEK 8: ANTHEM RC @ SEATTLE SEAWOLVES

Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 4PM ET | Starfire Stadium – Tukwila, WA

WATCH: ESPN+ | WCCB 18.1

Written by Dan Brooks

Anthem Rugby Carolina (2-4) head to Seattle on Sunday for the third leg of a three-match road swing, taking on a Seattle Seawolves side (3-3) that has won its last two matches on the road.

Anthem arrives in the Pacific Northwest off a loss in Chicago, where Cuca Cavalieri’s side became the first team this season to score 30+ points against the unbeaten Hounds. Six different try scorers, Akina, Momsen (2), Esdale, Fuala’au and Robb, produced the most balanced attacking display of Anthem’s 2026 campaign, even if the defense might not have been up to Cuca’s standards. Anthem’s scrum was again solid, and after early issues, the lineout success rate sits at 95% over the past three matches. 

Seattle, the two-time MLR champions and the league’s only remaining founding member, have built momentum with consecutive bonus-point road wins at Fort Quincy and Audi Field, the latter a 30-25 comeback over Old Glory DC last Sunday. Davy Coetzer, the league’s top points scorer, remains on the injury list, with utility back André Warner continuing at fly-half.

The two sides have met four times all-time, with Seattle leading 3-1, but Anthem famously broke their head-to-head duck on April 12 at American Legion Memorial Stadium, with Luke Carty’s 14-point haul guiding the Charlotte side to a 34-25 victory. That was Anthem’s first ever home win as a franchise.

Starfire Stadium is one of the toughest road venues in MLR; the Seawolves have lost just two of their last 20 home matches. Anthem will be looking to do what no team has done at Tukwila since the start of last season, and to put a third win on the board for 2026.

Stay tuned throughout the week for more roster, matchup and match day information to come.