SaberCats Host Chicago Hounds: ‘We are ready for the game’

SaberCats have lost three matches in a row following 6-1 start

By Aaron Wilson

A hot start to the season is over, and that leaves the SaberCats at a crossroads heading into Saturday night’s home match against the Chicago Hounds.

Following a 6-1 start, the SaberCats have lost four of their last five matches and have dropped into fourth place in the Western Conference Division.

To qualify for the Major League Rugby playoffs, the 7-5 SaberCats need to get back to winning, snap a three-game losing streak and work toward overtaking the third-place Utah Warriors.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, as a team,” said SaberCats standout Davy Coetzer, who leads the league in scoring with 115 points. “We started off well. We haven’t performed to our ability in the last couple of games. We’re still very hopeful.

“We’re in a position now where we can’t afford any slip-ups. Speaking to the boys, everybody is motivated now. Backs to the wall, that’s the way we like it.”

The SaberCats are coming off a 34-28 road loss to the Warriors last week. The 1-11 expansion Hounds lost 35-13 to the Seattle Seawolves last week.

Every win and loss at this critical stage of the season is absolutely pivotal to the SaberCats’ playoff outlook.

“We just need to come back to the drawing board,” SaberCats flanker Gideon van Wyk said. “Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way, but that’s part of the game. You win some and you lose some. We’re in a spot where we need to finish up. We play well and get in the score zone. We’re pushing it too much in 50-50 process. We need to keep it simple.”

For the SaberCats, it’s about maintaining their concentration and poise and getting back on a winning track.

“We have to focus up and go out and play our game and not hear any outside noise and not get distracted,” Emmanuel Albert said. “It’s our group that’s going to get us to the playoffs.”

The SaberCats are one of the younger teams in Major League Rugby. At times this season, experience has been a factor as the team continues to learn on the job while leaning on more seasoned players like Danny Barrett.

“I think age is just a number,” van Wyk said. “We have experienced guys like Danny helping us. That’s not an excuse. We’re professional athletes. Chicago is a team that likes to throw the ball around. We need to focus on our defense and everything else will fall into place.”

The SaberCats are encouraged by how they’ve performed this week in practice. It’s a matter of putting that into their game Saturday night at SaberCats Stadium.

“We’re having a good week,” Axel Zapata said. “We’re focused on execution and finishing the game. That’s the key for us to come back to winning. We have a good team. We have a good spirit. We are ready for the game.”

Photos by Nicolas Romero