SaberCats Square Off with San Diego

SaberCats face Legion on road after defeating them earlier this season

By Aaron Wilson

Having the right mentality toward road matches has paid off with serious dividends for the SaberCats.

Regardless of adversity, or being in an unfriendly environment, the 7-2 SaberCats have found a way in their travels to come home with victories.

They’ll carry that approach with them Sunday during a pivotal match against the 8-1 San Diego Legion, the Western Conference leaders.

“Especially this year, it’s funny we talk about how we played better on the road,” SaberCats lock Emmanuel Albert said. “We have more of a chip on our shoulders. Maybe stuff doesn’t go right, like a plane delay or a bus breaks down. 

“We always have stuff that doesn’t go our way on the road. It builds us up to play even better. To the fans, I would say tune in for this game against San Diego and wish us some luck.”

The SaberCats are the only team to defeat the Legion, who have outscored opponents 311 to 178 and have 40 total points to rank ahead of the Seattle Seawolves (39 points) and SaberCats (36 points) in the Western Conference.

The Legion are a formidable, experienced opponent coming off a seven-try game and earning five points in the standings as center Tiaan Loots scored two tries.

“San Diego, they’re probably the best team in the league at the moment,” SaberCats director Heyneke Meyer said. “They’re playing very well. They have some all-time greats on the roster. It makes a huge difference with their experience.”

The SaberCats defeated the Legion, 31-26, in Houston earlier this season behind tries from Gerrie Labuschagne, Gideon van Wyk, Christian Dyer and Dom Akina.

The SaberCats, led by Major League Rugby’s leading scorer Davy Coetzer, know they have their work cut out for them. Especially with veteran player Dean Muir not available for this match.

“We’re a young team, especially with Dean not being here,” Meyer said. “It’s going to be a huge challenge to beat them. We’re the only team that has beat them.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a massive challenge. A lot of people won’t give us a chance, but we’re looking forward to that.”

The SaberCats are coming off a big road win against the New York Ironworkers, the defending Major League Rugby champions.

How do the SaberCats explain their road mettle?

It’s simple: focus.

“We play well away from home,” Meyer said. “We like to play away from home. We’re looking forward to the game.  It’s always about character. You can’t let pressure faze you. We’ve done really well.”

Another quality about the SaberCats that’s resonated throughout the season: a healthy attitude.

“I feel like a lot of us have something to prove, whether a player is already established or a new player,” Albert said. “We all have something to prove.”

Added C.C. Mahoni: “The good thing is the more bad things that happen to us, the stronger we bind together. Whatever we have to deal with, we stick together.”

The SaberCats have gotten off to some slow starts and have traditionally finished strong.

“New York was pretty physical, it was a pretty good game,” Albert said. “The first 20 minutes, we played a little sloppy. After the water break, we executed pretty well.”

The scouting report on the Legion is similar to the SaberCats. They have good forwards and backs.

“On paper, it’s pretty close,” Albert said. “It will be who executes when and where.”

The SaberCats, who have a bye week following this match, have a good scouting report on the Legion.

That includes tapping into the knowledge of Mahoni, who played for the Legion for four seasons before joining the SaberCats in 2021.

“I know them very well,” Mahoni said. “The guys ask me who’s good or whatever. I tell them don’t worry about them, worry about what we have planned. San Diego is a strong team. It’s going to come down to who wants it more this weekend.”

*Photos by BigShots SnapShots