Match Report: SaberCats vs. Austin Elite Rugby 5.25.19

The Houston SaberCats have officially claimed victory in the Texas Showdown and, after defeating the Austin Elite 36-15,  are now riding a two-game win streak into Wednesday night’s match against the Glendale Raptors on the Grand Opening Night at AVEVA Stadium.

Heading into the Saturday’s match, you could tell there was a renewed sense of confidence throughout not just the team, but the organization as a whole. After all, only a week before they had toppled one of the top teams in Major League Rugby and were now getting set to take on their in-state rivals at the new AVEVA Stadium.

Within the first few possessions of the opening kickoff, there was a physical tone set on both sides, with each team seeing success in both the kicking game GLO ratings. However, the visiting Elite squad wouldn’t be able to remain consistent, while the ‘Cats began to catch momentum like a boulder bounding downhill.

The SaberCats found their groove early, flashing the improved line speed that proved to be so effective versus NOLA. The increased focus on moving the ball outside and stretch the opponents’ defense has paid dividends for players such as Thretton Palamo and Malacchi Esdale, who both found the in-goal on Saturday as a result.

Defensively, Neil Kelly has to be happy with the way this unit has stepped up in the past three weeks. While the front half of the season saw Houston struggle to prevent line-breaks or create turnovers inside the 22, the latter half of the schedule has showcased a phase of this team’s game that is not only aggressive at the breakdown but absolutely vicious when it comes to swarming ball carriers at the Gain Line.

While our performance on both offense and defense ultimately proved stalwart, there are still aspects of the game Houston must improve upon heading into the final two matchups with Glendale and Utah. First and foremost, ball handling is an area that needs to be addressed. While the score may indicate the SaberCats had their best game of the season (which arguably they did), there were plenty of phases that saw things stopped short due to miscommunication and an over-eagerness to advance the ball quickly rather than fighting the battle at the breakdown although there was a laudable reduction in ill-advised, last-second offloads

We are counting on all ‘Cats fans to make tomorrow night’s match at AVEVA Stadium  (Wed, May 29)  and make some noise for the good guys as they face-off against the always-tough Glendale Raptors at the AVEVA Stadium official Grand Opening  (Gates : 600pm  /  Kick-Off :  730pm).  Then,  tune-in to the final game of the season on KUBE-TV versus the Utah Warriors from Salt Lake City on Sat, June 1 at 700pm  –  or better yet,  join the ‘Cats at Hugh O’Connors for the Watch Party.

#GetUncaged

Written by: Liam Poach

Photos by:

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Dave Snook

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