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A late penalty goal from Will Kelly secured a draw for the Ontario Arrows as they battled the Houston SaberCats at Constellation Field on Saturday night. The exciting back-and-forth fixture was part of Houston’s Major League Rugby preparations, the first match for the Arrows in 2018. It’s a result that doesn’t quite satisfy either team but certainly validates Ontario’s MLR ambitions should they opt to join the startup professional league in 2019.
The SaberCats were first across the paint. A cheeky show-and-go from Matt Trouville saw the former Eagles No8 crossing just three minutes into the match. Zach Pangelinan couldn’t connect on the extras but the Cats had the start they wanted.
Shawn Windsor nailed a long-range penalty goal to put the Arrows on the board at the 10 minute mark. Pangelinan missed his second attempt at goal and Sam Windsor stepped up for the SaberCats to land his first penalty. The Arrows responded almost immediately, with captain Mike Sheppard crawling over from short range for a converted try.
A second penalty goal for Sam Windsor put the home side back in the lead and within moments Pangelinan was stepping his way through several Arrows defender en route to the tryline. The conversion made it 18-10, but there was still time for the Arrows to close the gap before the break.
The visitors put the SaberCats back on their heels. From a a five meter scrum they attacked the blindside, and after several phases from in tight AJ Quattrin picked and crashed through for a try. The conversion was successful and the halftime score read SaberCats 18, Arrows 17.
Ontario were fastest out of the gates after the intermission. A counterattack found space on the left flank with Jamie Leveridge taking it to the 22. The ball was recycled and a cutout pass from Shawn Windsor created just enough of a gap for right wing Johnny Sheridan to fend and dive into the corner for a highlight reel finish. Windsor extended the lead with his second penalty goal to put Ontario up by seven heading into the final quarter.
Houston got back on track when replacement prop Jake Turnbull wrestled his way over for a five-pointer. They grabbed the lead through flying winger Josua Vici at the end of a quick tap from Connor Murphy.
With the clock ticking down the Arrows earned a penalty on the hash mark of the Houston 10 meter line. Kelly’s line drive perfectly bisected the uprights from the difficult angle to draw the scores level in what would be the final scoring act of the game.
Next up for the Arrows is a road match against Rugby United New York, the first ever match for a team already confirmed for MLR in 2019. The SaberCats will enjoy a two-week break before traveling to New Orleans to play the Gold on March 24.
SCORING
HOUSTON 28
Tries – M. Trouville (3’), Z. Pangelinan (33’), J. Turnbull (65’), J. Vici (71’)
Cons – Z. Pangelinan 0/1, S. Windsor 1/3 (34’)
Pens – Z. Pangelinan 0/1, S. Windsor 2/2 (24’, 31’)
ONTARIO 28
Tries – M. Sheppard (26’), A. Quattrin (39’), J. Sheridan (42’)
Cons – S. Windsor 2/3 (27’, 40’)
Pens – S. Windsor 2/2 (10’, 60’), W. Kelly 1/1 (78’)
TEAMS
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Adam Macklin, 2 Lindsey Stevens, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Charlie Hewitt, 5 Robert Meeson, 6 Kyle Sumsion (capt.), 7 Chris Coyle, 8 Matt Trouville, 9 Connor Murphy, 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Alex Elkins, 12 Conor Mills, 13 Malacchi Esdale, 14 Josua Vici, 15 Zach Pangelinan
Replacements: 16 Andres Diaz, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Petey Hepburn, 19 Justin Allen, 20 Chris Parker, 21 Cecil Garber, 22 Pago Haini, 23 Osea Kolinisau, 24 Dan Paul, 25 Kieran Farmer
ONTARIO ARROWS
1 Rob Brouwer, 2 AJ Quattrin, 3 Tom Dolezel, 4 Mike Sheppard (capt.), 5 Paul Ciulini, 6 Marcello Wainwright, 7 Peter Milazzo, 8 Kolby Francis, 9 Alex Gliksten, 10 Shawn Windsor, 11 Jon West, 12 Jamie Leveridge, 13 Mitch Richardson, 14 Johnny Sheridan, 15 Aaron McLelland
Replacements: 16 Jack McRogers, 17 Pat Lynott, 18 Mike Smith, 19 Josh van Horne, 20 Andrew Wilson, 21 Mario van der Westhuizen, 22 Cooper Coats, 23 Will Kelly
