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The Houston SaberCats begin their second half of the Major League Rugby regular season when they host the Utah Warriors at Dyer Stadium on Saturday afternoon. As was the case with fellow Texan side Austin, the SaberCats are in must-win territory after a disappointing start to their campaign. The same can equally be said of the Warriors, with both teams sporting records of one win from four games.
Both teams were in action last week, both coming up short. Houston got off to a quick start but fell apart against the New Orleans Gold. Their inability to produce an 80-minute performance has been the biggest struggle with defensive lapses costing them dearly.
Four changes have been made to the run-on side, two in the forwards. Adam Macklin returns at loosehead prop with Jake Turnbull left on the bench. Cecil Garber is recalled at openside and three players shift to accommodate – Matt Trouville moves up to lock, Chris Coyle swaps to the blindside, and Kyle Sumsion slides back to No8.
Josua Vici comes in on the left wing from the suspension list but Zach Pangelinan heads the other way onto it. Osea Kolinisau fills in at fullback and it’s Dan Paul who makes his first MLR start in the midfield as Alex Elkins is left among the replacements. Joey Iosefa is back from an NFL trial and is certain to feature as an impact sub.
The Warriors didn’t find success in Seattle but not for lack of effort. They have improved with each week and will look to continue that trend against the SaberCats. Only one change is made to the starting side with former Glendale outside back Iniki Fa’amausili named to make his MLR debut on the right wing in place of Josh Anderson.
Two changes are made among the reserves. Maika Hafoka drops out with Ray Forrester asked to cover his old position of prop having played hooker thus far for the Warriors. Two-time Collegiate All-American Jonny Linehan returns from a stint as a punter with the BYU Cougars football team to take up a spot on the bench, a timely arrival given Kurt Morath’s selection to the Tongan team for the June internationals.
Despite their identical records it’s the Warriors who come into the match with more momentum. Playing on a hot Houston afternoon will be difficult but both sides have some talent on the bench. The fans will be hoping for the mythical Joey Iosefa vs Paul Lasike collision but it’s Linehan who could make the biggest impression in his first MLR appearance.
Look for Utah to blast away with the likes of Lasike, Fetu’u Vainikolo, and David Tameilau until the cracks start to emerge. Houston’s main threats are out wide in Vici, Kolinisau, and Malacchi Esdale but as we saw against New Orleans the ball has to get there first. Take the Warriors in a slugfest.
Kickoff is set for 5pm local time, 3pm Pacific, 6pm Eastern. American viewers can watch on AT&T Sportsnet or ESPN+. Those based outside the USA can access a live stream on the MLR Facebook page.
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Adam Macklin, 2 Lindsey Stevens, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Charlie Hewitt, 5 Matt Trouville, 6 Chris Coyle, 7 Cecil Garber, 8 Kyle Sumsion (capt.), 9 Connor Murphy, 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Josua Vici, 12 Conor Mills, 13 Dan Paul, 14 Malacchi Esdale, 15 Osea Kolinisau
Replacements: 16 Diego Maquieira, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Petey Hepburn, 19 Robert Meeson, 20 Pago Haini, 21 Chris Slater, 22 Joey Iosefa, 23 Alex Elkins
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Alex Tucci, 2 Lote Tu’ipulotu, 3 Angus MacLellan, 4 Matt Jensen, 5 Saia Uhila, 6 Lance Williams, 7 Ara Elkington, 8 David Tameilau, 9 Joseph Nicholls, 10 Kurt Morath, 11 Tonata Lauti, 12 Paul Lasike (capt.), 13 Fetu’u Vainikolo, 14 Iniki Fa’amausili, 15 Don Pati
Replacements: 16 Tino Mafi, 17 Maka Tameilau, 18 Les Soloai, 19 Ray Forrester, 20 John Cullen, 21 Jonny Linehan, 22 Kisa Kalougata, 23 Ben Nicholls
Date: Saturday, May 26
Venue: Dyer Stadium, Houston
Kickoff: 17:00 local (15:00 Pacific, 18:00 Eastern)
Referee: Scott Green (USAR)
Assistants: Derek Summers (USAR) & Chris Brown (USAR)
Broadcasts: AT&T SportsNet, ESPN+, Facebook
