Ray Keane assembles 2026-2027 UW Husky Coaching Staff

Returning to the program this season are:

Nick Wallace Nick is a Bellingham, Washington native, former USA Eagle, and accomplished rugby coach with experience at the collegiate, club, professional, and international levels. A product of Chuckanut Bay Rugby Club and Saint Mary's College of California, Wallace earned five Collegiate All-American honors and went on to earn 15 caps with the United States Eagles. His playing career included championship-winning stops with James Bay Athletic Association, Glendale Rugby, and the Denver Stampede, where he helped win the inaugural PRO Rugby Championship in 2016. Wallace also represented Canada at the 2009 U-20 Junior World Championship and competed against the New Zealand All Blacks in Chicago in 2014. Today, he brings a passion for leadership, culture, and player development to UW Husky Rugby, helping student-athletes grow both on and off the field. Nick will take on the role of Forwards coach for the upcoming season and is “excited to bring a fresh and dynamic approach to our forward play”.

Louie Henson. Another locally produced product, Louie began his impressive career at Rainier Highlanders 2009-2012 and captained the varsity side in 2012. Louie also represented the Washington Loggers representative side in 2012. His collegiate playing career took him to Western Washington University from 2012-2017 where he also captained the side.  A overseas stop followed in the UK followed with English NAT 2 side Henley Hawks before returning to play locally with the Seattle Rugby Club. From there Henson caught the eye of the fledgling Seattle Seawolves MLR staff and was part of the championship winning sides of 2018 and 2021. Henson has coached with Rainier Highlanders and assisted at Western Washington University. He returns to UW Husky Rugby having been in a forwards coaching capacity last season. Louie will take on a new role of Set Piece skills coach for the upcoming season. In his own words “Our forward pack has been good the last two years but I'm ready to see them make the jump to greatness this year”.

Ian Douglas. Ian returns to the program this season to assist with specialist position technical skills development. Ian is a local high school product and has represented the Washington Loggers and Seattle Vikings. Ian currently coaches at Eastside Lions, high school club side at u14 level. “We are delighted to be able to help Ian in his own coaching development Journey and I am excited to see what Ian can bring this season in terms of freshness and honing our players’ technical skills” said Keane. Ian will also take on a new role of Player Liaison Officer, where he will act as a conduit between the players and the coaching staff.  

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Petaia Usakilakeba Petaia returns to the program this season in a new role as Community Liaison after serving as an assistant coach with both the 15s and 7s squads last year. A respected leader in his Seattle-Fiji community, church, and president of the alumni abroad for Queen Victoria School, Fiji, Petaia brings a wealth of playing experience from Fiji and years of success as both a player and coach in Canada. His passion for developing people extends well beyond the field, where he will provide one-on-one support for student-athletes, lead community service initiatives, and help coordinate home match meals. Many UW players have participated in community service under Petaia's guidance over the last year. "Community engagement is an incredibly critical component of our development and growth opportunity. "Coach" Petaia is a respected and experienced contributor to our program and I look forward to his continued "family value" contribution as an extension to our coaching staff" said Head Coach Ray Keane. Petaia's mentorship and commitment to service will strengthen the entire program's culture.

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Keane is also working with MLR pro side, Seattle Seawolves leadership to enhance our coaching capabilities with support from Head Coach and GM Allen Clarke and other Seawolves players/ coaches. “Having the opportunity to partner with such a professional organization as the Seattle Seawolves is a real winner for us as a staff. In time, it is my expectation that it will serve as a massive recruitment and growth opportunity for our program” said Keane. Expect more details in upcoming installments of the Husky Hype as we progress the finer details together.