Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Old Glory DC made it two wins on the trot as they scrapped to a 22-13 victory over the Houston SaberCats at AVEVA Stadium on Saturday. In a stop-start match that featured numerous penalties and only rare continuity, the boot of DC flyhalf Jason Robertson proved the difference.
It was Robertson who started the scoring with a routine penalty after Houston had conceded two consecutive penalties. The SaberCats fired back with a try through Tiaan Loots. Sam Windsor’s grubber in behind the defense was turned over and Loots bashed through two DC forwards to score under the posts.
The switch flipped with Robertson landing his second penalty moments later. Old Glory was again pulverised in the scrum but their lineout was working smoothly, and when Houston’s maul defense spun the wrong way Mungo Mason had the simplest of routes to the line.
Robertson nailed the sideline conversion to give Old Glory a six-point lead but that would soon evaporate. Windsor landed his own penalty and then added a second to make the score dead even at halftime.
The second half did not go to play for the SaberCats. Poor handling and more penalties saw Robertson landing his third penalty early in the half. There was little gained by either side for 20 minutes before Renata Roberts-Te Nana was binned for an act of frustration.
Houston could not take advantage, however, and instead it was Robertson who landed his fourth penalty goal. Diego Magno’s off-the-ball tackle earned him an early shower and gave Robertson his fifth penalty, in doing so taking the SaberCats out of bonus point range.
It’s another Texas match-up for Old Glory on Saturday when they face the Gilgronis in Austin. The SaberCats will have the week to regroup before hosting Rugby United New York on Sunday.
SCORING
HOUSTON 13
Tries – T. Loots (11’)
Cons – S. Windsor 1/1 (12’)
Pens – S. Windsor 2/2 (26’, 30’)
Yellow cards – D. Magno (78’)
DC 22
Tries – M. Mason (22’)
Cons – J. Robertson 1/1 (23’)
Pens – J. Robertson 5/6 (9’, 15’, 43’, 71’, 79’)
Yellow cards – R. Roberts-Te Nana (65’)
TEAMS
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Nicolás Solveyra (17 Valdemar Lee-Lo 58’), 2 Diego Fortuny (16 Tim Cadwallader 75’), 3 Charlie Connolly (18 Boyd Wiggins 60’), 4 Kyle Breytenbach, 5 Robert Meeson (19 Victor Comptat 52’), 6 Luke Beauchamp, 7 Cecil Garber (20 Adriaan Booysen 58’), 8 Diego Magno, 9 De Wet Roos (capt.), 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Malacchi Esdale (23 Tim Stanfill 72’), 12 Tiaan Loots, 13 Thomas Morani, 14 Kieran Farmer, 15 Osea Kolinisau (21 Taylor Howden 68’)
Not used: 22 Zachary Short
OLD GLORY DC
1 Tendai Mtawarira (17 Jake Turnbull HT), 2 Dante Lopresti (16 Max Lum 50’), 3 Gordon Fullerton (18 Will Vakalahi 48’), 4 Tevita Naqali, 5 Dylan Pieterse, 6 Matt Hughston (19 Travis Larsen 52’), 7 Mungo Mason (co-capt.), 8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (20 Josh Brown 60’), 9 Danny Tusitala (21 Michael Reid 80’), 10 Jason Robertson (22 Mike Dabulas 80’), 11 Renata Roberts-Te Nana, 12 Ciaran Hearn (23 Doug Fraser 60’), 13 Thretton Palamo (co-capt.), 14 Declan O’Donnell, 15 Dylan Taikato-Simpson
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Derek Summers (USA)
Assistants: Joe Burpoe (USA) & Greg Varnell (USA)
