Game Preview: Saturday, June 3 at Toronto Arrows

SaberCats primed for road match: ‘All eyes on Toronto’

SaberCats coming off win over Chicago, halting losing streak

By Aaron Wilson

Every week is crucial as the SaberCats make a push for the playoffs.

And their latest match involves a lengthy road trip, traveling north of the border to Canada.

The 8-5 SaberCats, battling for a playoff berth for the second consecutive year, take on the 1-10-2 Toronto Arrows at York Lions Stadium on Saturday.

“It’s all eyes on Toronto,” Christian Dyer said.

The SaberCats are currently in fourth place in the Major League Rugby standings. They’re tied with the Utah Warriors (9-4) with 43 points apiece, but the Warriors currently have the tiebreaker with one more victory over Houston.

“We need to focus for the game,” Gideon van Wyk said. “Toronto is a team that likes to throw the ball around and has a kicking game as well. We’re going to be ready.”

van Wyk scored the game-winning try against the Chicago Hounds in a 40-33 victory last week.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” van Wyk said. “All those guys standing behind me, we’re family and we stick up for each other.”

The SaberCats are striving for consistency. They have a talented squad, including the leading scorer in the league in Davy Coetzer, who’s working his way back from a sprained knee.

The SaberCats were on a three-game losing streak before defeating Chicago.

The SaberCats built a 33-14 lead against the Hounds before losing their advantage and then winning the game on van Wyk’s elusive run.

“We’re going to have to figure that one because that won’t cut it, come the playoffs,” Dyer said. “At the end of the day, I’m happy we got the win. It’s good to turn the tide of the season coming from an 0-3 position before this. Hopefully, this can be the catalyst to changing the season.”

With Coetzer sidelined against Chicago, Robert Povey scored a team-high 13 points.

“We’re really happy to get this win after we lost the last three against really good sides,” Povey said. “We got ourselves in a little bit of trouble after a really good start, but we managed to pull it out and we’re still in contention for the playoffs.

“The boys are sticking together, digging down. We’ve got to keep that fight. I was just excited to get back out there. Davy has been playing really well all season. I got out there and tried to do the best I can.”

A five-point win helped the SaberCats in the standings.

Now, they need more performances like that one as they try to stack up wins.

“It’s going to be a huge confidence-booster,” SaberCats director Heyneke Meyer said. “To get five points out of the game, we’ll take that any day. Every second counts.”

At this stage of the season, every match is pivotal toward the big picture: a chase for the playoffs and a push for a potential championship.

“All the players need to be ready to put their hand up when called upon and the boys who got the opportunity, that’s a credit to them,” Dyer said. “We need to review this game and figure out where the gaps were and what went well and what we can build on.”