Game Preview: Sunday, April 23 vs. NY Ironworkers

‘Huge game for us,’ SaberCats take on defending champion Ironworkers

SaberCats are 6-2 and in second place in the Western Conference heading into key road match

By Aaron Wilson

Inside the SaberCats’ practice facility, it was laundry time following another practice session.

It was a tad symbolic as the SaberCats are also looking for clean, consistent results on the field as they travel for a challenging road match Sunday against the defending Major League Rugby champion New York Ironworkers.

The 6-2 SaberCats are viewing every match as if the playoffs have already begun. It’s a growing theme within the second-place Western Conference Division team as they are looking to get off to faster starts going forward.

“Every game from now on is a final for us,” coach Pote Human said Wednesday afternoon. “New York is the defending champion. It’s going to be a huge game for us on Sunday.”

The SaberCats are led by MLR’s leading scorer Davy Coetzer, who’s manufacturing a stellar season with 83 points.

“It’s unbelievable,” Human said. “Davy has got a big heart. He’s playing very good rugby.”

Coetzer scored the game-sealing try in a 33-21 home win over the Dallas Jackals.

That victory snapped a one-game losing streak after they got off to a slow start and lost to the Utah Warriors at home.

“We’re very motivated and we believe we can go all the way,” Coetzer said. “The last two weeks, we haven’t played to our potential. When you’re not playing to your full potential, it’s grinding it out and winning games. We’ve got to work hard on getting it right.

“We’ve got a big one against New York. We can still play better. We just need better execution. New York is always a tough club to play against. They have very good players.”

The SaberCats overcame a red card ejection for Gideon van Wyk from a head-to-head contact infraction assessed in the Jackals match.

One of the key players on the team, van Wyk is suspended for three weeks and is eligible to return in May against the Warriors.

“It’s unfortunate, but we have good depth and good player to fill in,” Human said. “We can put together another good performance. We play for each other.”

A major point of emphasis this week: getting off to faster starts after falling behind early in the past two matches.

“We can’t wait like we did against Utah,” Human said. “We have to have a good start and keep the pressure on them.”

The SaberCats also don’t want to squander scoring opportunities.

“We’re not finishing enough,” Christian Dyer said. “That’s something we’re working on. We’ve come a long way.”

The Ironworkers are 4-4, but have have outscored 198 to 189 and are in second place in the Eastern Conference behind the New England Free Jacks.

“They’re a good structured team,” Dominik Akina said. “We watch film on them quite a bit, seeing their tendencies and their weaknesses. We’re going to try to capitalize on those. We needed to bounce back after the Utah game and we did. We needed that win. I’m feeling good and confident.”

Now, the SaberCats have 31 points and rank behind the San Diego Legion (7-1, 35 points), next week’s opponent. They’re ahead of the Seattle Seawolves (6-2, 29 points), who are in third place.

“We’ve got high standards,” SaberCats director Heyneke Meyer said. “We’re getting there. We’re a very young team. New York won it all last year. It’s always difficult on the road.”

SaberCats team captain Dean Muir said the team is focused and knows what needs to be done in the weeks ahead.

“I think every game, every week is going to be tough,” Muir said. “We approach it as a final every week. New York is going to be a tough game. We’re up for it.”

*Photos by BigShot SnapShots