Rugby Football Club Los Angeles Secure The First Win Of The Season In Front of Packed Crowd at Wallis Annenberg Stadium

Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (RFCLA) battled back from an early deficit to secure a much-needed 35-31 victory over the Seattle Seawolves.

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, March 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Under the lights at UCLA’s Wallis Annenberg Stadium, Rugby Football Club Los Angeles put up a hard-fought contest marked by discipline, determination, and a shift in momentum that saw LA put together their most relentless performance of the season and garner their first win.

“The win was much needed,” said RFCLA Head Coach Steven Hoiles. “We saw some really good improvements in our discipline and defense, even though we conceded four tries—the fourth coming late in the game. Our defense percentage was really strong, and our discipline in the ruck really improved. These were all things we spoke about during the week.”

It wasn’t the start LA had scripted. Within the first few minutes, Dane Zander received a yellow, leaving RFCLA a man down. Seattle capitalized, knocking over an early penalty for three points before punching in a try and conversion to jump out to a 10-0 lead. But LA weren’t rattled for long.

Captain Jason Damm led from the front in the 24th minute, barging over for LA’s first try of the night. Christian Leali'ifano slotted the conversion—his first of many on the evening. Seattle’s skipper hit back soon after with another converted try, but RFCLA’s Rory Van Vugt had the final say of the half, dotting down over the white line. Leali'ifano’s boot stayed true, closing the gap to 17-14 at halftime.

Seattle flipped the script early in the second half with a yellow card of their own but still managed to extend their lead to 24-14 with another converted try. RFCLA were unable to capitalize on the advantage but kept the tempo high thanks to Gonzalo Bertranou, with his quick tap-and-gos and quick ball.

Then came the breakthrough. In the 56th minute, Andrew Coe crossed over, and Leali'ifano added the extras, cutting the deficit to just three points. Leali'ifano was flawless, managing the game well and not missing a single kick. RFCLA’s discipline and defense kept Seattle at bay while continually turning defense into attack.

The momentum swung firmly LA’s way as Declan Leaney and Ben Houston each powered over for tries in quick succession, securing RFCLA a vital bonus point for scoring four tries or more. Leali'ifano nailed both conversions, stretching the lead and taking his personal haul to 10 points for the match.
Seattle found one last try late in the match but missed the conversion, leaving them four points short at the final whistle—RFCLA sealing a gutsy 35-31 win on home turf.

“We ran the ball; we made it an exhausting, tiring game for ourselves,” Hoiles said. “While the officiating slowed things down with constant stoppages and TMO checks, regardless I’m glad we won this game, while playing a positive style of footy. That’s really pleasing.”

Hoiles also hailed several standout performances, particularly from Jurie Van Vuuren, who played 65-70 minutes in his first game back after a year out recovering from a snapped Achilles.

“Christian Leali'ifano was also outstanding,” Hoiles added. “We’ve got a big game next week in New Orleans. I hope the guys celebrate this win—it’s been a tough few weeks. I’m very pleased that throughout it all, no one has ever doubted our intention or the way we are playing. It’s been very understanding that we had to get better and improve our discipline, and we did that tonight.”

Final Score: RFCLA 35 – Seattle Seawolves 31

In another win for the team, Antoine DuPont, who is undoubtedly one of the greatest names and players in World Rugby, was seen at the Six Nations wearing a RFCLA hat. See on instagram here.

Next Up: RFCLA travels to face NOLA Gold in New Orleans, on Saturday 22nd March, kick off is at 4.00pm.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR RFCLA’S 2025 SEASON NOW: Rugby Football Club Los Angeles Single Tickets now available here!

For more information on RFCLA, visit Rugby FCLA or follow the team on social media @rugbyfcla.

Olivia Malifa
SOAR Media
+1 404-903-2567
olivia@soarmedia.agency
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