
Match Report SaberCats vs. Utah Warriors 6.1.19
In their last game of the season, the Houston SaberCats were able to hold off a second-half rally by the Utah Warriors on the way to claiming a 31-27 victory. The win was the team’s fourth in a row, allowing the ‘Cats to finish out the season with a 6-10 record and 30 total points. Matthew Trouville, in the final match of his career, was named the team’s Man of the Match.
While there was an unshakable sense of confidence heading into Zions Bank Stadium for the visiting SaberCats, not a soul believed this was going to be anything other than a hard-fought contest. Only a week before, The Warriors had played the defending champion Seattle Seawolves to a draw and were now looking to finish their own disappointing campaign on a high note.
Not to mention, the ‘Cats were at a slight physical disadvantage to begin with, having already played a total of two games in less than a week (both victories against Austin and Glendale). If they were going to go the full 80 minutes with one of the fastest teams in Major League Rugby, then they were going to have to dig down deep.
And down deep they did dig.
The first half featured plenty of moments that sent shockwaves of silence across the crowd of Warrior-faithful, mainly out of the scrum, from which the ‘Cats Jameson Schultz and Malacchi Esdale were both able to secure tries in the first half. However, the play and confidence of Scrumhalf Connor Murphy was a major factor through this game’s first 40 minutes, playing mostly mistake-free rugby while putting his receivers into the best position to find space. While the one they call ‘Toad’ has never been known for his calm demeanor on the field, Saturday he played with visible aggression that was mirrored by his teammates on the attack and defense.
The second half came around, and the ‘Cats began to hit a few bumps in the road. Utah was able to secure 14 unanswered points to begin the second frame, before eventually pulling ahead by three with under 20 minutes to go thanks to a frantic pace that challenged Houston’s defensive transitions. However, just when it seemed as if the ‘Cats were going to let another near victory slip through their fingers, a quick kick and go by Murphy deep inside Warrior territory was corralled by Windsor for what would be the game-winning try.
While the passing game may not have been as explosive as it was against Glendale and Austin, the defense stepped it up in moments when it really counted especially when backed up inside the 22. They forced Utah to expend valuable energy, and most importantly time, constantly recycling and rucking in order to gain meaningful ground.
Enough can’t be said about the set piece either. Two lineout steals in the first half set the tone for a facet of the game in which the ‘Cats were able to consistently perform well. Not only did their patterns work well in the starter plays, but they also forced a number of mistakes on Utah’s part, especially when the Warriors seemed to be in scoring position.
While one may look at this end-of-the-year winning streak and wonder “What might’ve been”, there is no doubt the 2020 season is looking a whole lot brighter than it was even six weeks ago. While nobody can ever be sure of what the future holds, one thing is certain: Rugby is here to stay, Houston.
By Liam Poach
Twitter: @PoacherRugby
Photos: George Manu with USMLR
Recent Posts
“I am excited to get to work, get down to Houston, and make it home.”
MEET THE 2023 MLR DRAFT’S SECOND OVERALL PICK, MAX SCHUMACHER WRITTEN BY
MAX SCHUMACHER | NO. 2 OVERALL PICK
"I see immediate impact because he takes to the line. He's able
Coaches Clinic 2023
Attention all Houston Rugby Coaches! Come take part in our first SaberCats
SaberCats Draft Selections 2023
The Houston SaberCats have selected Max Schumacher (Fly-Half), Orrin Bizer (Flanker), and
Learn Rugby from the Houston SaberCats: 2023
Are you a P.E. Teacher and interested in your students learning about
News Tags
Archives
- August 2023 (7)
- July 2023 (3)
- June 2023 (14)
- May 2023 (19)
- April 2023 (26)
- March 2023 (16)
- February 2023 (19)
- January 2023 (9)
- December 2022 (1)
- November 2022 (1)
- August 2022 (1)
- July 2022 (3)
- June 2022 (3)
- May 2022 (15)
- April 2022 (17)
- March 2022 (13)
- February 2022 (16)
- January 2022 (3)
- December 2021 (3)
- November 2021 (2)
- October 2021 (2)
- September 2021 (2)
- August 2021 (4)
- July 2021 (7)
- June 2021 (9)
- May 2021 (11)
- April 2021 (11)
- March 2021 (10)
- February 2021 (3)
- November 2020 (3)
- October 2020 (1)
- September 2020 (2)
- August 2020 (2)
- July 2020 (2)
- May 2020 (1)
- March 2020 (8)
- February 2020 (14)
- January 2020 (4)
- December 2019 (4)
- November 2019 (1)
- October 2019 (1)
- September 2019 (1)
- August 2019 (3)
- July 2019 (1)
- June 2019 (3)
- May 2019 (12)
- April 2019 (9)
- March 2019 (10)
- February 2019 (7)
- January 2019 (9)
- December 2018 (1)
- November 2018 (2)
- August 2018 (2)
- July 2018 (5)
- June 2018 (4)
- May 2018 (5)
- April 2018 (19)
- March 2018 (9)
- February 2018 (14)
- January 2018 (16)
- December 2017 (9)
- November 2017 (3)
- October 2017 (1)