Round 15 of the 2025 Major League Rugby season brought high-stakes action across the league with playoff spots on the line.
From the Seawolves shutting down the SaberCats in Seattle to Old Glory taking down the Free Jacks in Quincy, every match had major implications for the standings.
- Seattle Seawolves 14 – 9 Houston SaberCats
- New England Free Jacks 17 – 20 Old Glory DC
- Anthem RC 19 – 33 Chicago Hounds
- NOLA Gold 28 – 31 Utah Warriors
- RFC Los Angeles 26 – 20 Miami Sharks
Here are all the results, recaps, and scoring summaries from this crucial round of MLR:
SEAHAWKS DEFEND STARFIRE WITH GUTSY WIN OVER SABERCATS ON MILITARY NIGHT
Seattle Seawolves 14 – 9 Houston SaberCats (HT: 7–6)
In a clash defined by grit and defense, the Seattle Seawolves delivered a statement victory on Military Night, outlasting the league-leading Houston SaberCats 14–9 in front of a fired-up crowd at Starfire Stadium. The Seawolves became the first team all season to keep Houston try-less, holding them to three penalty goals from former Seawolf AJ Alatimu. The match opened with Houston applying early pressure, resulting in two Alatimu penalties to give the visitors a 6–0 lead. But Seattle struck back before the half with a key moment of brilliance. A well-constructed attack ended with a try from Bayer converted by Iona, swinging the momentum and giving the Seawolves a narrow 7–6 lead at the break. The second half followed the same gritty script. Alatimu nudged Houston back in front with a third penalty, but Seattle’s discipline and defensive resilience kept the SaberCats out of the try zone, despite extended spells inside the 22. Then came the turning point: a yellow card to Houston in the 70th minute for a deliberate knock-on opened the door, and the Seawolves barged through it. Replacement hooker Jesse Mackail—on for the injured Kerron van Vuuren—finished off a relentless team effort with the only try of the second half, earning him Man of the Match honors. Iona added the conversion to push Seattle ahead by five, and from there, the Seawolves’ defense sealed the deal. The emotional win came on a night full of tribute and recognition, from a military promotion ceremony at halftime to honoring community heroes and inducting co-founder Adrian Balfour as a Seawolves Legend. Now tied for second in the Western Conference, the Seawolves continue their playoff push with two regular season games remaining. Up next: a massive away test against the undefeated-at-home New England Free Jacks.
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
- Tries: Bayer (35’), Mackail (74’)
- Conversions: Iona (36’, 75’)
HOUSTON SABERCATS
- Penalties: Alatimu (9’, 21’, 61’)
OLD GLORY EDGE FREE JACKS IN THRILLING FINISH TO EXTEND WIN STREAK TO FOUR
New England Free Jacks 17 – 20 Old Glory DC (HT: 7–7)
Old Glory DC continued their late-season surge with a gutsy 20–17 road win over the New England Free Jacks in Quincy on Saturday evening. In a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal, OGDC handed the conference leaders a rare home defeat to stretch their winning streak to four matches and move within two points of the top spot. The Free Jacks thought they had struck first inside seven minutes, but an early try was wiped out for obstruction after TMO review. They didn’t wait long to make amends—Cam Nordli-Kelemeti broke the line off a 50–50 ball, and after quick hands in the 22, Wian Conradie finished a sharp counter-attacking move. Dan Hollinshead converted to give New England a 7–0 lead. Hollinshead had the chance to extend the lead, but a missed penalty opened the door for OGDC. Axel Muller took full advantage, finishing a slick backline play out wide before Jason Emery added the conversion to tie it at 7–7 going into halftime. However, Old Glory would start the second half with 14 men after Tevita Naqali was sent to the bin. The Free Jacks capitalized immediately. Paula Balekana dotted down just a minute into the second half—his 10th try of the season—but Hollinshead hit the post on the conversion, leaving it 12–7. Emery responded quickly with a long-range penalty to narrow the gap, and minutes later, Connor Buckley scored after a brilliant catch and offload from Cory Daniel. Emery’s conversion gave OGDC their first lead at 17–12. The see-saw battle continued. New England answered through Jed Melvin, who finished off a Le Roux Malan break to level the match at 17–17, but another missed kick by Hollinshead proved costly. Emery would seal the win in the 64th minute with a composed penalty goal. Old Glory’s defense held firm in the final 15 minutes to claim a massive away win, keeping their playoff push alive with momentum and belief.
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
- Tries: Conradie (14’), Balekana (01’), Melvin (54’)
- Conversion: Hollinshead (15’)
OLD GLORY DC
- Tries: Muller (36’), Buckley (48’)
- Conversions: Emery (37’, 49’)
- Penalties: Emery (44’, 64’)
CHICAGO SURGE EARLY TO SPOIL ANTHEM’S FINAL HOME GAME IN CHARLOTTE
Anthem RC 19 – 33 Chicago Hounds (HT: 5–28)
The Chicago Hounds stormed to a dominant first-half lead and held firm late to defeat Anthem RC 33–19 on Saturday night in Charlotte, spoiling Anthem’s final home fixture of the season. The visitors ran in four unanswered tries in the opening 40 minutes to seize control before Anthem mounted a spirited second-half response. Anthem nearly opened the scoring in the third minute, but Alex Hernandez’s early try was chalked off for a forward pass. Moments later, they made it count—Mitch Wilson crossed the line in the 10th minute after smooth handling from Corbin Smith, putting the hosts ahead 5–0. Chicago responded immediately. Campbell dived over in the 14th minute, followed by a powerful carry and finish from hooker Dylan Fawsitt to make it 14–5. Tim Swiel then sparked a blistering counterattack that saw Noah Flesch finish a stunning third try in the 29th minute. Just before the break, the Hounds added another score to close out a commanding 28–5 first half. Anthem refused to roll over. Mikey Grandy crashed over early in the second half and converted by Wilson to cut the lead. A second surge in the 67th minute saw Makeen Alikhan power over after heavy carries from Grandy and Junior Gafa, narrowing the gap to just 28–19. But despite their resurgence, Anthem couldn’t complete the comeback. A final-minute try from Chicago sealed the result and kept the Hounds firmly in the playoff race. It was a tough loss in front of a loyal home crowd, but Anthem players Mitch Wilson and Sam Golla expressed heartfelt appreciation for the fans who supported them all season long.
ANTHEM RC
- Tries: Wilson (9’), Grandy (42’), Alikhan (65’)
- Conversion: Wilson (43’, 67’)
CHICAGO HOUNDS
- Tries: Campbell (13’), Fawsitt (18’), Flesch (28’), Jones (40’), Widmer (80’)
- Conversions: Hilsenbeck (14’, 19’, 29’, 40’)
UTAH STRIKE EARLY AND HOLD OFF NOLA COMEBACK IN THRILLING BATTLE AT THE SHRINE
NOLA Gold 28 – 31 Utah Warriors (HT: 14–31)
The Utah Warriors returned to winning ways with a nail-biting 31–28 victory over NOLA Gold in a hot and humid showdown at the Shrine on Saturday. A blistering opening 20 minutes saw the visitors storm to a 19–0 lead, and while NOLA mounted a gritty second-half comeback, Utah’s early dominance proved just enough to secure the five-point win. Utah’s first-half efficiency was on full display as Dylan Nel opened the scoring, followed by tries from Frank Lochore—set up by a brilliant break and offload from Nolan Tuamoheloa—and Liam Coltman off a textbook maul. Despite a Jonah Mau’u try that briefly lifted the home crowd, Tuamoheloa struck again just minutes later, showing versatility in an emergency start on the wing. Joel Hodgson capped the half with a try of his own in the 36th minute off a long Zion Going break, giving the Warriors a commanding 31–14 halftime lead. But the second half belonged to the Gold. Mau’u powered over for his second of the night, and Moni Tongauiha finished a relentless attack to close the gap to just three points with 15 minutes left. Despite several chances and a determined late surge, NOLA couldn’t crack Utah’s defense for the decisive score. The Warriors’ resilience saw them notch their first-ever win at NOLA and move into a tie atop the Western Conference. NOLA, though disappointed, took home two crucial bonus points—keeping their playoff hopes alive with just two rounds remaining.
NOLA GOLD
- Tries: Mau’u (19’, 42’), Te Tamaki (24’), Tongauiha (56’)
- Conversions: Carty (20’, 43’, 57’), Auto-Conversion (24’)
UTAH WARRIORS
- Tries: Nel (3’), Lochore (10’), Coltman (16’), Tuamoheloa (22’), Hodgson (36’)
- Conversions: Hodgson (4’, 11’, 23’)
RFCLA HOLD OFF MIAMI SHARKS IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD TO BOOST PLAYOFF HOPES
RFC Los Angeles 26 – 20 Miami Sharks (HT: 12–10)
In front of their largest home crowd of the season at The Great Park in Irvine, RFCLA edged out the Miami Sharks 26–20 in a tense, high-stakes clash that delivered major playoff implications for both sides. With fans energized from pre-match festivities, including a youth clinic and team mascots from the Anaheim Ducks and OC Soccer Club, the stage was set for a classic West vs East showdown. The Sharks struck first with a Shane O’Leary penalty, but RFCLA responded with two early tries to take a 12–3 lead. Just before halftime, Tomás Bekerman powered through the LA defense to close the gap to 12–10. The second half was a gritty battle, but a yellow card to Manuel Ardao proved costly. RFCLA capitalized immediately with a try from Ben Sugars—one of four different scorers for the home side. Santiago Videla’s penalty narrowed it to 19–13, but RFCLA answered once more to extend their lead. Despite a late surge and try from Tomás Cubelli that cut it to 26–20, Miami’s comeback ran out of time. The Sharks claimed a crucial losing bonus point, but RFCLA secured the full five, jumping to third in the Western Conference and tightening the playoff race with two matches left.
RFC LOS ANGELES
- Tries: Coe (17’), Anste (25’), Van Vugt (45’), Sugars (57’)
- Conversions: Lealiifano (26’, 46’, 58’)
MIAMI SHARKS
- Tries: Bekerman (32’), Cubelli (68’)
- Penalties: O’Leary (33’), Videla (69’)
- Conversions: O’Leary (14’), Videla (51’)
STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 15
With just two regular season rounds remaining, the 2025 MLR playoff picture is tightening fast.
Seattle and Utah continue to rise in the West, while Old Glory’s fourth straight win puts serious pressure on the Free Jacks in the East. Expect even more drama in Round 16 as teams fight for every point.
Who impressed you most in Round 15? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let’s talk rugby.
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