Battle of the Border: Seattle Rugby Kicks Off the 2026-2027 Season in Style

The 2026-2027 season is officially underway, and it started the only way Seattle Rugby Club knows how: on the road, in front of a big crowd, against the best competition around.

On Saturday, September 12, the club traveled north to deWilde Rugby & Polo Fields in Ferndale for the inaugural Battle of the Border, a full day of rugby hosted by Chuckanut Rugby Club. What began in the summer as an idea for a cross-border season opener turned into exactly the kind of event this club wants to be part of: three matches, two countries, a packed sideline, and a season announcing itself to everyone in the Pacific Northwest.

The Women Set the Tone

First up were the Seattle women, and the B side did not waste any time reminding everyone why this club opens its season with confidence. Facing off against the Emerald City Mudhens, Seattle's women built a lead, weathered a Mudhens push, and closed the match out on their own terms, finishing 39-24. Under captain Sally Egan, the side played with the kind of composure that comes from a group that has put in the offseason work, and it showed most in the finish, where Seattle pulled away when the game was there to be won.

That is the standard the rest of the club is chasing all year: play with confidence, finish strong, and set the tone early.

The Men Take On Two Tests

The men's day came in two parts, and both told the same story: a squad that is building something and is not afraid to test itself against anyone.

The warm-up match pitted Seattle against Chuckanut, and it turned into an absolute battle. Under captain Ben Gustafson, Seattle traded scores with the hosts all afternoon in a match that came down to the final whistle, with Chuckanut edging it 39-38. One point. That is how close this club is to being right there with anyone in the region, and it made for one of the more entertaining warm-up matches this club has played in years.

Then came the main event. At 2:30 p.m., with the crowd built up from a full day of rugby, food, and the Seattle Seawolves' Run with the Pack, Seattle's Men's XV lined up under captain Jonny Reid against Ravens Rugby BC, the reigning BC Premier Champions, in a winner-take-all match for $5,000 and bragging rights up and down the I-5 corridor.

This was the matchup Battle of the Border was built around: Seattle's Men's XV, fresh off a USA Club Rugby D1 National Runner-Up finish last season, against a Ravens side that had just claimed the BC Premier title. Two clubs coming off the best seasons in their history, settling it on the pitch. The Ravens brought the form that made them BC champions and controlled the match, closing it out 34-12.

Seattle did not have the day it wanted against a Ravens side that was simply excellent, but the effort, the intensity, and the standard the men's team competed at in front of a home-away crowd was exactly what this season needed to start with. Playing a match like that, with that much on the line, in week one, is how a team gets better fast.

The Season Starts Now

One weekend in, and this club is putting the rest of the region on notice. A women's side that finishes games. A men's team that will go toe to toe with anyone, including the reigning BC Premier Champions, and make them earn every point. A sideline packed from the first whistle to the last. That is not a warm-up act. That is a statement.

And this is just the first chapter. The schedule is stacked with matches all season long, and every one of them is a chance to see this club chase down that same fire it brought to Ferndale. Check out the full 2026-2027 season schedule, grab your friends and family, and come stand on the sideline. Rugby like this is better in person, and this season deserves a crowd.

Thank you to everyone who traveled to Ferndale and cheered this club on all day. A special thank you to Chuckanut Rugby Club for hosting a first annual Battle of the Border that lived up to the hype, and congratulations to Ravens Rugby BC on a well-earned first title. See you at the next match, because this season is just getting started.

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