‘Brilliant game’ 3-0 SaberCats Late Comeback Victory over Legion

Gideon van Wyk scores game-winning try, and Christian Dyer makes clutch tackle to preserve win

By Aaron Wilson

Gideon van Wyk held a crucial conversation with teammate Nick Boyer, an exchange of information on the field about a vulnerability in the San Diego Legion defense.

It was exactly the kind of communication the SaberCats needed in the final minute as they manufactured a dramatic comeback, a 31-26 victory at home before a raucous crowd.

The timely pass from Boyer to van Wyk allowed the flanker to bust through an opening for the game-winning try as the surging SaberCats improved to 3-0 despite some nerve-wracking moments during an up-and-down performance.

“Nick passed the ball inside to me, and the Legion has a good defense, but we knew the gap was going to be on the inside,” van Wyk said. “So, I talked to Nick and I said, ‘We’ve got to go now. Now, is our time.’ He gave me the ball and I got through. 

“It’s not on me. It’s about the team. I was fortunate to be in the right place. All credit to the team. It’s great to be 3-0. We need to stay humble with our feet on the ground.”

That’s true, because the match wasn’t over.

The Legion, previously undefeated at 2-0 before falling short at SaberCats Stadium and losing their advantage, came storming back.

They were on the verge of a go-ahead try in the last few seconds when vice captain Christian Dyer made a clutch tackle to prevent the potential score.

This is a true rivalry with the Legion, one of the top teams in the Western Conference and Major League Rugby overall.

“I tackled the guy,” Dyer said. “I don’t know if I would say it’s a big win. It’s a good win. These are championship rugby games. It comes down to 80 minutes, and it comes down to consistency and patience. 

“Hats off to San Diego, hell of a squad, so much experience. It shows in moments like this. We’re young. We’re hungry. We never give up. We don’t always get it right, but we got it right when we needed to.”

Dyer, director Heyneke Myer and several other members of the SaberCats’ roster, which played without team captain Danny Barrett and lost Carlo De Nysschen to an upper body injury, emphasized before the match that this game was a measuring stick in where they stand.

They found out a lot about themselves, beating a quality opponent.

Next up: Saturday’s road game against the 3-0 Seattle Seawolves for first place in the Western Conference.

“It’s encouraging, but, at the end of the day, we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” said Dyer, who scored another try. “This is a good data point on our journey. We’ll watch the film and we’ll put all of our attention on Seattle.”

Reflecting on the win, Meyer expressed a need to keep improving. He’s happy with the effort and the conditioning factor. It was evident during a sun-soaked day at SaberCats Stadium that the home squad maintained a lot of energy throughout the match.

“I always knew it was going to be a tough battle, especially with leadership,” Meyer said. “I thought the guys did well. Nine minutes left and we needed two tries. They showed a lot of character. Conditioning, it came through. 

“The guys wanted to win. It could have gone either way. It’s great for the fans, but it was nerve-wracking. It was an unbelievable game. It was a brilliant game. We didn’t play well at times. We’ve got a lot to work on.” 

The score by van Wyk was something Meyer has seen frequently before.

“He does that a lot in training,” Meyer said. “Sometimes, you want him to go a bit wider, but he sniffs out the try.”

On the field, van Wyk calling for the ball was overheard by his teammates.

“I can hear him chatting with Nick: ‘I’m coming, I’m coming, make it look like I’m selling it,'” prop Pono Davis said. “It came out perfectly.”

Gerrie Labuschagne‘ showed off his speed on a lengthy try, accelerating away from pursuit to score untouched.

“I felt lucky, very blessed,” Labuschagne’ said. “I think it’s all about perseverance. We were down and came back late. That’s what I love.”

Labuschagne, at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, is one of the most athletic players on the roster.

“He’s got some wheels on him,” Dyer said. “I was like, ‘You go, boy.'”

“Gerrie had a really good game,” Meyer said. “We needed something special. It was a quality try.”

The tackle by Dyer was a crucial play, too.

“We needed that play to grind it out at the wire,” Meyer said. “It was so close.”

With injuries to De Nysschen and Davy Coetzer, the SaberCats’ reserves were needed. Boyer and others stepped up.

“We’re thin at the moment,” Meyer said. “We gave guys an opportunity to win. We have a lot of injuries.”

“We have great depth,” van Wyk said. “They will do the job. We’re not stressed about that.”

Being 3-0 despite not having peaked yet is encouraging to Meyer.

“It’s early,” Meyer said. “I’m happy about four tries. It’s a great win. Just thankful for the win, but we need to be humble.”

Dominic Akina likes how the SaberCats’ camaraderie is forming. This is a close team.

“It’s going great, we’re building a lot of culture,” Akina said. “It’s leading to a lot of positive things. We just have to put in that work. We practice for a 90-minute game, so we can finish late. That was a tough one. (Dyer) come up with that stop was huge.”

The short turnaround, six days for a road game, after this emotional win, will require focus and resting up.

The SaberCats will celebrate this victory, then quickly get back to work.

“I think it means a lot for the team,” Davis said. “We have a lot of guys who came from San Diego and are from California. It’s good to beat them.”

*Photos by Nicolas Romero