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A Western Conference clash with major playoff implications takes place at Zions Bank Stadium on Saturday night. The Utah Warriors host the Houston SaberCats with the winner taking a major step towards earning the third postseason slot, a position Houston currently holds by just three points.
Utah bounced back from a tough loss against San Diego with a bonus-point win over Dallas last Saturday, though the were perhaps guilty of taking their foot off the gas in the second half. There will be no doubts that an 80-minute effort will be required to beat the SaberCats.
Two late withdrawals have hit the Warriors with Bailey Wilson and Thomas Tu’avao pulling out. Jurie van Vuuren starts at No8 with Saia Uhila coming into the second row. Lance Williams is back in at openside flanker and Olive Kilifi gets the call at loosehead prop.
There is a reshuffle in the backline as Calvin Whiting returns at inside center. Tyler Fisher and Mika Kruse each bump out one spot to outside center and right wing respectively. Logan Tago is the odd man out and settles for a spot among the replacements.
Houston have dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season with a poor second half costing them the game against Seattle last weekend. Heyneke Meyer will have read the riot act during the week and the SaberCats will also have two key players back in their lineup.
Gideon van Wyk returns from suspension and slots straight back in at the back of the scrum, with Malon Al-Jiboori shifting to the flank. Marno Redelinghuys will pack down at lock with Siaosi Mahoni ruled out through injury. The forwards are otherwise unchanged.
In the backs it’s star fullback Drew Wild who has recovered from a twisted ankle. He is a straight swap for Gerrie Labuschagne, who sits out the match entirely. Zach Pangelinan will provide cover on the bench in place of Robbie Povey.
The forecast is calling for ideal conditions which will be music to Utah’s ears. It was their expansive attacking game that saw the Warriors winning in Houston six weeks ago, though the Cats nearly stole it at the death. The loss of Wilson and Tu’avao is significant, however, and Utah’s bench is perhaps not as impactful as their opponents. Houston also have an extra forward in reserve that could prove the difference in the final quarter.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm local time, 8:30pm Central, 9:30pm Eastern, and 6:30pm Pacific. Local broadcasts will be available on AT&T SportsNet Southwest in Houston and both KMYU and KSL Sports online in Utah, with The Rugby Network streaming worldwide.
UTAH WARRIORS
1 Olive Kilifi, 2 Henry Bell, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Jamie Lane, 5 Saia Uhila, 6 Onehunga Havili, 7 Lance Williams, 8 Jurie van Vuuren, 9 Connor McLeod, 10 Joel Hodgson, 11 Joe Mano, 12 Calvin Whiting, 13 Tyler Fisher, 14 Mika Kruse, 15 Caleb Makene (capt.)
Replacements: 16 Tuvere Vugakoto, 17 Emerson Prior, 18 Angus MacLellan, 19 Jeremiah Noaese, 20 John DuPree, 21 Zion Going, 22 Tomasi Tonga, 23 Logan Tago
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Rob Cobb, 2 Joe Taufete’e, 3 Morgan Mitchell, 4 Marno Redelinghuys, 5 Nathan Den Hoedt (capt.), 6 Malon Al-Jiboori, 7 Wynand Grassmann, 8 Gideon van Wyk, 9 Dillon Smit, 10 Davy Coetzer, 11 Vereniki Tikoisolomone, 12 Louritz van der Schyff, 13 Dom Akina, 14 Christian Dyer, 15 Drew Wild
Replacements: 16 Will Vakalahi, 17 Alec McDonnell, 18 Pono Davis, 19 Keni Nasoqeqe, 20 Danny Barrett, 21 Emmanuel Albert, 22 Carlo de Nysschen, 23 Zach Pangelinan
Date: Saturday, May 20
Venue: Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman
Kickoff: 19:30 local (18:30 Pacific, 21:30 Eastern)
Broadcasts: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, KMYU, KSL Sports, The Rugby Network
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
Assistants: Kahlil Harrison (USA) & Justin Canova (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2023-04-08 – Houston SaberCats 24, Utah Warriors 30 (SaberCats Stadium)
2022-05-14 – Houston SaberCats 31, Utah Warriors 27 (AVEVA Stadium)
2022-03-26 – Utah Warriors 12, Houston SaberCats 28 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2021-06-26 – Houston SaberCats 5, Utah Warriors 24 (AVEVA Stadium)
2021-04-24 – Utah Warriors 50, Houston SaberCats 43 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2019-06-01 – Utah Warriors 27, Houston SaberCats 31 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2019-03-21 – Houston SaberCats 29, Utah Warriors 27 (Constellation Field)
2018-06-23 – Utah Warriors 31, Houston SaberCats 27 (Zions Bank Stadium)
2018-05-26 – Houston SaberCats 30, Utah Warriors 36 (Dyer Stadium)
