SaberCats Pumped for Home Opener: ‘We’re going to make them proud, they’ll see an exciting brand’

By Aaron Wilson

When the SaberCats’ bus broke down in Dallas, the team sure didn’t. Before a road season opener against the Jackals in Arlington, the returning playoff squad weren’t fazed by the travel setback at the team hotel. They made it to Choctaw Stadium via Uber. And they came to play, earning a convincing 33-12 victory that included tries from Davy Coetzer, Hanco Germishuys, Carlo de Nysschen, Christian Dyer and Louritz van der Schyff.

“It was awesome,” prop Pono Davis said. “The bus broke down at the hotel and we had to catch Ubers, but we didn’t even flinch. We walked into the stadium and got right into it. All the boys were ready. It didn’t stop us from focusing and executing our game plan.”

Now, the 1-0 SaberCats are preparing for their first regular-season home match of the season Saturday night at SaberCats Stadium. They face the 0-1 Nola Gold, who fell 36-12 to the New England Free Jacks to open the season. The Gold were scheduled to face the SaberCats in the preseason, but announced they had an outbreak of COVID-19 on their roster and were unable to travel to Houston for the match.

Encouraged by the start of the season, SaberCats coach Pote Human can’t wait for the first home match. “They played very well, especially in the first half,” Human said. “I’m very happy with the performance. We’re looking forward to the next challenge. It’s definitely going to be awesome to play in front of the Houston fans. We’re going to make them proud. We’re looking forward to the game. “They’ll see an exciting brand. We saw some of it in Dallas. This is a home game. We have to win. Everyone likes a winning team. We want to be a winning team in Houston.”

Against the Jackals, the SaberCats meshed well in all phases of the game. That included defending the open field and competing in scrums as Hanco Germishuys led the way with 10 tackles followed by Dom Akina’s nine stops, Nathan Den Hoedt’s seven tackles, team captain Danny Barrett’s five tackles and four more from Axel Zapata. Zapata filled in for returning second-team all-star Dean Muir as he’s in South Africa to be with his wife as she gives birth.

“We’re very excited to get the fans back into SaberCats Stadium and get the season rolling down here,” Davis said. “We’re excited for them to watch us play. Hopefully, we get more fans up in the stadium and more people involved in rugby.”

Depth is being built throughout the SaberCats’ roster.  “It’s a difficult choice on which players to play,” Human said. “It’s good to have that. It keeps the starters on their toes and performing their best. You have to play, or the next guy is coming in. “The new guys came in and that’s why they’re here. Unbelievable. This is the best team. The culture on this team is strong. The bus broke down and they said, ‘Don’t worry, coach.’ They were just great.”

de Nysschen filled in capably for an injured Dillon Smit. “Yes, it was a good start, a good foundation,” de Nysschen said. “The good thing is we have a lot to work on. You don’t want to be too perfect in the first game. We’ve got a big three weeks coming up. We want to get better every week. NOLA has been a very exciting team. We’re going to have to be up for it on Saturday.”

Morgan Mitchell emphasized that the SaberCats have room for improvement going forward. “It felt good, but we were rusty at times,” Mitchell said. “That’s what you get when you play your first game. Hopefully, we get rid of that rust and play even better this game. I’m very excited to see the fans and put on a good performance and hopefully catch up with the fans after the game.”

*Photos by Nicolas Romero