Celebrating a Historic Season for Seattle Rugby Club

The final whistle has blown in Lemont, Illinois. The scoreboard reads 28–48. And yet, when you look at the faces of the Seattle Rugby Club Men's XV gathered on that pitch — medals around their necks, pride written across every one of them — you don't see defeat. You see the culmination of something remarkable.

Seattle Rugby Club finished as national runners-up in the 2026 USA Club Rugby Division I Men's National Championship. And every single person who has ever worn the green and blue, cheered from the sideline, or supported this club from afar should be enormously, unabashedly proud.

A Season for the History Books

To reach the national final is no small feat. It requires consistency, grit, and depth across an entire season — through the grind of league play, through the pressure of the Pacific Super Regionals, and all the way to a national stage against the country's best club sides. This team did all of that and more.

Old Blue RFC played an outstanding final, and credit is due where it is earned. But Seattle's journey to that moment — and everything they put on the field throughout 2026 — represents the highest level this club has ever reached.

Homegrown. Home-Built. Home-Proud.

What makes this accomplishment resonate even more deeply is who built it.

This squad is a testament to the Washington rugby pathway — players who grew up in the state, who came through the youth and collegiate programs, who chose Seattle Rugby Club and gave years of their lives to building something together. Local talent, developed locally, competing on a national stage. That is not an accident. That is the result of coaches, administrators, parents, and mentors investing in the long game for Washington rugby.

Watching these players — many of whom have been in the program for years — represent Seattle at the national championship is exactly what the rugby pathway is supposed to produce. And today, it produced runners-up at the national level.

Thank You

To every player who laced up their boots this season: thank you. Thank you for the early morning training sessions, the long travel days, the physical sacrifices, and the relentless commitment to each other and to this club. You gave everything you had, and the rugby community across Washington saw every bit of it.

To the coaches and staff who prepared this team week in and week out: your work doesn't go unnoticed. A national final doesn't happen by accident, and the fingerprints of your dedication are all over this season.

To the families and partners who supported these players: the sport asks a great deal of the people who love its athletes, and your sacrifice matters.

To the alumni of Seattle Rugby Club who have come before: these players carried your legacy onto a national stage. They represented you with honor.

And to every supporter, donor, sponsor, and fan who believed in this club — your investment in Seattle Rugby Club helped make a national final possible. This achievement belongs to all of us.

The Orcas Are Just Getting Started

Second place in the nation. Let that sink in.

This is not a farewell — it is a foundation. The nucleus of this squad is young, talented, and hungry. The pathway that produced these players is strong and growing. The culture at Seattle Rugby Club is built to compete at the highest levels year after year.

This club is on the right path. The best is still ahead.

Thank you, Orcas. You made Seattle proud.

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