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It’s another CDI Premier League team game four on the Houston SaberCats preseason schedule at Constellation Field this evening. Following the entertaining match against Uruguay last weekend they Cats welcome James Bay Athletic Association from Vancouver Island, one of the most prestigious clubs in Canadian rugby with a long history of supplying players for the national side.
The Bays, as they are known, have brought a competitive side if not quite full strength. Five of the starting pack have played representative rugby in recent months. Blake van Heyningen, Noah Barker, and Shea Wakefield were part of the victorious BC Bears side that won the Canadian Rugby Championship in 2017. Moe Abdelmonem was the outstanding openside in that competition while playing for the Atlantic Rock.
Steven Ng is a promising national u20 rep from Ontario, and another from that province is Paul Ciulini, a winner of six test caps as a lock during the 2016 test season and a regular with the Ontario Blues. A powerful ball carrier, his selection at the back of the scrum will be of interest to selectors.
The backs are headlined by Canada ‘A’ selects Mitch Richardson and Mike Nieuwenhuysen. Richardson was a highly regarded flyhalf at age grade level but has more recently been used in the midfield. Nieuwenhuysen will be a central figure in the midfield, a physical presence coming off a breakthrough year in 2017. Aaron Evison is another one to watch, a speedster who has been part of the Maple Leafs development sevens side.
Houston has made three changes to the team that gave Los Teros a good test. Petey Hepburn gets a run-out at loosehead prop in place of Jamie Dever. Pago Haini sits out with Kyle Sumsion switching to the back of the scrum and Chris Parker lining up on the blindside flank. Osea Kolinisau shifts to the wing in the absence of Malacchi Esdale, with Dan Paul tabbed to start in the midfield.
Three players have been added to the back. Andres Diaz looks set to cover both hooker and flanker, and Jackson Slater makes it two giant-sized second rows in the reserves beside Justin Allen. A new name is Paul Mullen, a former Ireland u19 prop who was part of the Junior All-American side at the 2011 IRB Junior World Trophy tournament in Georgia.
Fans can expect another entertaining match as the SaberCats continue their match towards the inaugural Major League Rugby season. After two losses in a row they’ll be intent on getting back in the winning column, with James Bay keen on replicating the upset win of CDI rivals UBCOB Ravens. Kickoff is set for 7pm local time with a live audio broadcast available on MIXLR.
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Petey Hepburn, 2 Diego Maquiera, 3 Adam Macklin, 4 Charlie Hewitt, 5 Robert Meeson, 6 Chris Parker, 7 Cecil Garber, 8 Kyle Sumsion (capt.), 9 Connor Murphy, 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Josua Vici, 12 Conor Mills, 13 Dan Paul, 14 Osea Kolinisau, 15 Zach Pangelinan
Replacements: 16 Andres Diaz, 17 Estevan Florez, 18 Jack Riley, 19 Justin Allen, 20 Jackson Slater, 21 Chris Slater, 22 Kieran Farmer, 23 Art Reyes, 24 Paul Mullen
JAMES BAY
1 Blake van Heyningen, 2 Steven Ng, 3 Noah Barker, 4 Shea Wakefield, 5 Jake de Goede, 6 Jakob Butler, 7 Moe Abdelmonem, 8 Paul Ciulini, 9 Mitchell Sora, 10 Mitch Richardson, 11 Aaron Evison, 12 Guillaume Caillaux, 13 Mike Nieuwenhuysen, 14 Nathan Waldmann, 15 Blake Mahovic
Replacements: 16 Andrew Macpherson, 17 Jason Lines, 18 Jack Mealey, 19 Tyler Rockwell, 20 Nathan Tough, 21 Liam Murray, 22 Thomas Burton
Date: Saturday, January 27
Venue: Constellation Field, Sugar Land
Kickoff: 19:00 local (17:00 Pacific, 20:00 Eastern)
Broadcasts: MIXLR (audio only)
