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Two teams looking to climb out of the early-season doldrums will go head-to-head at AVEVA Stadium on Saturday. The hosting Houston SaberCats haven’t so much as scored a point since the opening round while their guests from San Diego suffered one of their worst ever defeats to Rugby ATL last weekend.
The good news for the Legion is that history is on their side. In three previous meetings the SaberCats have never defeated San Diego, though they have come close on two occasions. Their most recent collision saw San Diego cruise to a lackluster win at Dyer Stadium nearly two years ago.
To avoid further embarrassment Houston will have to find inspiration that has eluded them in shutout losses to New England and Austin. So comprehensive was their loss in the Texas Cup that their opening round victory over Seattle seems a distant memory now.
San Diego were toppled by New York in Las Vegas to start the season and then rebounded with a fortunate win over Austin. Against ATL they were outhustled and came decidedly second best in the tactical kicking department. There is room for optimism this weekend however.
Though Santiago González Iglesias was lost to injury in Marietta, there is a return for Cameron Clark at outside center. Dylan Audsley moves up to fill the gap at inside center with Cecil Afrika recalled to the starting lineup at fullback.
The Legion will finally be able to call upon former England captain Chris Robshaw as his suspension has ended. He starts at openside flanker with Tevita Tameilau coming in at No8, Keni Nasoqeqe moving to lock, and Siaosi Mahoni dropping to the bench. It’s a 6-2 split with Jasa Veremalua joining Travis Larsen as back row subs.
Nathan Sylvia replaces Faka’osi Pifeleti as the starting loosehead prop. Cronan Gleeson shifts from backup tighthead to backup loosehead and Chris Baumann from backup hooker to backup tighthead. Peter Malcolm is fit to take his spot among the reserves.
The SaberCats will look for an impact from new signing Nick Boyer. He slots straight in at scrumhalf with Zach Pangelinan recalled on the left wing and Veramu Dikidikilati moving back to the midfield. Zack Godfrey joins the subs list with Gabe Farley missing out entirely.
Injuries to Valdemar Lee-Lo and Bronson Teles open spots for Nikoloz Khatiashvili and Cecil Garber at loosehead prop and openside flanker respectively. Lucas Albornoz is a straight swap for Van Stewart at lock. Canadian tighthead Nik Hildebrand could make his pro debut as a replacement.
Houston are the home side and that counts for something, but of the two they have the greatest mountain to climb in terms of form. Robshaw’s presence alone should lift San Diego’s spirits though expectations for his first run-out in the American competition should be tempered. All things considered the Legion are clear favorites despite playing on the road.
Kickoff is set for 7pm local time, 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern. Live broadcasts will be available on Fox Sports 2 domestically and on The Rugby Network for those located abroad.
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Nikoloz Khatiashvili, 2 Diego Fortuny, 3 Charlie Connolly, 4 Kody O’Neil, 5 Lucas Albornoz, 6 Luke Beauchamp (capt.), 7 Cecil Garber, 8 Diego Magno, 9 Nick Boyer, 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Zach Pangelinan, 12 Sam Windsor, 13 Veramu Dikidikilati, 14 Paula Balekana, 15 Matías Freyre
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Erasmus, 17 Nicolás Solveyra, 18 Nik Hildebrand, 19 Van Stewart, 20 Adriaan Booysen, 21 Jinho Mun, 22 Taylor Howden, 23 Zack Godfrey
SAN DIEGO LEGION
1 Nathan Sylvia, 2 Dean Muir, 3 Aaron Mitchell, 4 Ben Mitchell, 5 Keni Nasoqeqe, 6 Psalm Wooching, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Tevita Tameilau, 9 Carlo de Nysschen, 10 Joe Pietersen (capt.), 11 Bjorn Basson, 12 Dylan Audsley, 13 Cameron Clark, 14 Save Totovosau, 15 Cecil Afrika
Replacements: 16 Peter Malcolm, 17 Cronan Gleeson, 18 Chris Baumann, 19 Siaosi Mahoni, 20 Jasa Veremalua, 21 Travis Larsen, 22 Patrick Madden, 23 Ryan Matyas
Date: Saturday, April 10
Venue: AVEVA Stadium, Houston
Kickoff: 19:00 local (17:00 Pacific, 20:00 Eastern)
Referee: Moe Chaudhry (Canada)
Assistants: Joey Swatzell (USA) & Jarrod Ford (USA)
Broadcasts: Fox Sports 2, The Rugby Network
Historical Results
2019-04-28 Houston SaberCats 19, San Diego Legion 40 (Dyer Stadium)
2019-02-09 San Diego Legion 17, Houston SaberCats 13 (Torero Stadium)
2018-05-04 San Diego Legion 35, Houston SaberCats 32 (Torero Stadium)
