Head to Head: Drake Davis V Peyton Wall
Published on April 24, 2026 under Major League Rugby (MLR) News Release
Seattle Seawolves vs Chicago Hounds | MLR Week 5 | April 24, 2026 | 10 PM ET ESPN+
R. North
When Seattle and Chicago meet at Starfire tonight, the wing battle carries its own storyline. Drake Davis makes his Seawolves debut on one side. Peyton Wall, the reigning MLR Rookie of the Year, makes his first appearance of 2026 on the other. Both men scored three tries in last season's regular season. The numbers, though, tell very different stories about how they go about their work.
Davis arrives in Seattle after spending the 2025 season with Houston. He did not enter rugby through the conventional route. A former college wide receiver made ten appearances in 2025 - six starts, three tries - and was on the field for two of the biggest moments of the post-season: he scored in the Western Conference Final against Utah and again in the MLR Championship against New England.
Wall is a different kind of story. Drafted by Chicago with the tenth overall pick in the 2024 MLR Draft, the former Indiana University wing had not played a single minute of professional rugby before his debut as a replacement in Week 12 of 2025 against Miami. What followed was enough to earn him the MLR Rookie of the Year award.
The numbers from 2025 tell the story clearly in the carrying department. Wall made 572 meters from 50 carries across his seven appearances, beating 32 defenders and completing nine offloads. Davis made 446 meters from 25 carries across ten games.
Davis's role at Houston was built around different qualities. His presence on the edge gave the SaberCats a physical threat in space, and his big-game tries - both coming in the post-season when Houston needed them most - point to a player who can deliver in high-pressure moments. Those moments came at the end of last season. Tonight, he faces one at the start of a new one, stepping onto a new field against the only unbeaten team in the league.
Chicago arrived at Starfire having scored 15 bonus-point tries across their three games in 2026, averaging seven tries and 44 points per contest - more than any other team in MLR this season. Wall has not yet featured in any of those wins. His return to the starting line-up here represents Chicago's attempt to add another dimension to an attack that is already functioning at a level none of their opponents have been able to handle.
Seattle's response will lean on structure. The Seawolves have the best lineout in MLR this season at 90% and the league's most accurate kickers. Their game is built around set-piece dominance and territory. Davis will likely see limited ball in open play if the match follows Seattle's pattern. His job may be less about carrying meters and more about the moments that decide close games - the kind of moments he has shown he can handle.
Tonight is the fifth meeting between these two clubs. Seattle has won all four previous fixtures. Chicago has never beaten the Seawolves in MLR history. Wall is back in the starting line-up for the first time in 2026. Davis is pulling on a Seattle jersey for the first time in his career. Both have unfinished business in different senses of the phrase.
Major League Rugby Stories from April 24, 2026
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