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The Houston SaberCats can all but wrap up their march towards a first-ever postseason appearance if they can get past Old Glory DC on Saturday afternoon. They need just seven competition points to clinch the third and final Western Conference spot ahead of San Diego and Seattle.
Despite Old Glory’s struggles there is no guarantee of success. In their two previous meetings, both played in Houston, it was DC who claimed victory by near-identical scorelines.
Of course this is a vastly improved SaberCats side that has won three games in a row and six of their last eight. The win over a dangerous Utah side last week guarantees at least an even record this season, a first for the traditional underachievers.
Pote Human has stuck with the winning formula up front with no changes to the starting pack. There is one alteration in the forward reserves with Pono Davis stepping in as tighthead prop backup.
In the backs the halfbacks and midfield remain untouched but it’s all change in the back three. Marcos Moroni returns on the left wing after a seven-game absence, with Zach Pangelinan on the right wing for just his second start of the season. Canadian international Robbie Povey is back in at fullback.
After back-to-back wins and a respectable performance against the Free Jacks, Old Glory slipped badly against the Gold in New Orleans. Poor defense was the culprit and Nate Osborne has made several changes to freshen things up.
Mo Katz and Jake Ilnicki come into the front row at hooker and tighthead respectively, with Api Naikatini filling in for Stan South at lock. Dom Bailey is on the flank with Fintan Coleman at No8, with Dacoda Worth offering loose forward cover. Felix Kalapu drops to the bench with Luke Campbell joining South in the spectators booth.
In the backline there is a notable return of Renata Roberts-Te Nana from injury at fullback. Newcomer John Rizzo is rewarded with a first start on the left wing on the back of two replacement appearances. John LeFevre covers scrumhalf with his last appearance coming in March.
Sweltering heat, approaching record levels, are expected in Leesburg. That could have an affect on ball handling and will certainly significant input from replacements in the second half. Houston are somewhat stronger in that regard, and are certainly superior in the set piece. Look for the SaberCats to come away with another ‘W’ on their record.
Kickoff is set for 1pm local time, noon Central, 10am Pacific. A local broadcast will be available on NBC Sports Washington with AT&T SportsNet Southwest airing the game on delay. Those located elsewhere in the USA and abroad can watch on The Rugby Network.
OLD GLORY DC
1 Jack Iscaro, 2 Mo Katz, 3 Jake Ilnicki, 4 Tevita Naqali, 5 Api Naikatini, 6 Dom Bailey, 7 Cory Daniel, 8 Fintan Coleman, 9 Danny Tusitala (capt.), 10 Rohan Saifoloi, 11 John Rizzo, 12 Junior Sa’u, 13 William Talataina, 14 Peni Lasaqa, 15 Renata Roberts-Te Nana
Replacements: 16 Rob Irimescu, 17 Kyle Stewart, 18 Will Vakalahi, 19 Felix Kalapu, 20 Dacoda Worth, 21 John LeFevre, 22 Doug Fraser, 23 Owen Sheehy
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Alec McDonnell, 2 Dean Muir (capt.), 3 Juan Pablo Zeiss, 4 Marno Redelinghuys, 5 Siaosi Mahoni, 6 Gideon van Wyk, 7 Keni Nasoqeqe, 8 Malon Al-Jiboori, 9 Dillon Smit, 10 David Coetzer, 11 Marcos Moroni, 12 Louritz van der Schyff, 13 Christian Dyer, 14 Zach Pangelinan, 15 Robbie Povey
Replacements: 16 Diego Fortuny, 17 Frikkie de Beer, 18 Pono Davis, 19 Will Crawford, 20 Emmanuel Albert, 21 Nick Boyer, 22 Matai Leuta, 23 Kian Meadon
Date: Saturday, May 21
Venue: Segra Field, Leesburg
Kickoff: 13:00 local (10:00 Pacific, 12:00 Central)
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistants: Aaron Davis (USA) & Craig Sakowski (USA)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)
Broadcasts: AT&T SportsNet Southwest (delayed), NBC Sports Washington, The Rugby Network
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2021-05-22 – Houston SaberCats 13, Old Glory DC 21 (AVEVA Stadium)
2020-02-22 – Houston SaberCats 13, Old Glory DC 22 (AVEVA Stadium)
