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The forward strength of the SaberCats was too much for RFC Los Angeles on Saturday, with the home side taking a bonus point 29-12 win over their guests. Searing heat in Houston made for slippery handling but LA’s discipline was equally taxing with three yellow cards and a red dished out to the visitors.
It was a fast start for the home side, who immediately put LA under pressure. Jeremy Misailegalu came across to his opposite wing looking for work and charged through a gap, offloading to Drew Wild. The fullback in turn found André Warner in support to open the scoring.
A response from LA came from some creative attacking play. Jason Emery went quick at a penalty and quickly delivered a wide pass to Semi Kunatani. The rangy loose forward tied in two defenders and somehow popped the ball over the tap to a waiting Ben Strang who dove into the corner. Emery tacked on the extras from the sideline to give the visitors a 7-5 lead.
The SaberCats looked to their pack to regain the advantage, and when a driving maul was collapsed the referee went under the posts to award a penalty try. Alex Maughan was singled out as the offender worthy of a yellow card, though it appeared to be a case of mistaken identity. Almost immediately after the restart a loose pass landed in the hands of Davy Coetzer and it was 40-meter sprint to score with his own conversion making it 19-7 to the home side.
LA found a jolt of energy just before halftime. Louritz van der Schyff was binned for a high tackle, and the visitors punched the ball into the corner. When the maul was slowed the ball stayed tight until Jason Damm found a seam and wedged his way over the line for the try. Emery could connect with the conversion but it was now a one score game as the two sides jogged into the sheds.
The heat was taking its toll on both teams with neither gaining much advantage until a TMO intervention dealt a blow to LA’s chances. Bruce Kauika-Petersen was deemed guilty of a head-high tackle and a red card emerged from the referee’s pocket. Coetzer immediately slotted a penalty goal to make it a two-score game with a half-hour to play.
Recurring penalties while LA were pinned in their end resulted in a yellow for Emery. Seconds later another maul collapse yielded a second penalty try, with Damm joining Emery on the sidelines. The visitors would finish the match with 13 men on the pitch and with no hope of earning a losing bonus point the final moments ticked away uneventfully.
Both teams will play at home next weekend. Houston are closing in on the Western Conference title and have a chance to clinch when they host the second-place Seattle Seawolves on Saturday. Los Angeles are back in action next Sunday against the NOLA Gold.
| SCORING |
HOUSTON 29
Tries (4) – A. Warner (6′), Penalty try 2 (18′, 75′), D. Coetzer (20′)
Cons (3) – D. Coetzer 1/2 (21′), No kick 2 (18′, 75′)
Pens (1) – D. Coetzer 1/1 (49′)
YC (1) – L. van der Schyff (30′)
LOS ANGELES 12
Tries (2) – B. Strang (14′), J. Damm (35′)
Cons (1) – J. Emery 1/2 (15′)
YC (3) – A. Maughan (18′), J. Emery (74′), J. Damm (75′)
RC (1) – B. Kauika-Petersen (49′)
| LINEUPS |
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth (17 LaRome White 59′), 2 Pita Anae-Ah Sue (16 Tiaan Erasmus 75′), 3 Maks van Dyk (18 Pono Davis 45′), 4 Justin Basson, 5 Nathan Den Hoedt (capt.), 6 Johan Momsen (19 Emmanuel Albert 22′), 7 Keni Nasoqeqe (20 Asa Carter 75′), 8 Ronan Murphy, 9 André Warner, 10 Davy Coetzer (21 Carlo de Nysschen 75′), 11 Jeremy Misailegalu (22 Max Schumacher 55′), 12 Louritz van der Schyff, 13 Dom Akina (23 Line Latu 57′), 14 Seimou Smith, 15 Drew Wild
RFC LOS ANGELES
1 Dane Zander (16 Wilton Rebolo 51′), 2 Ben Strang (17 Alessandro Heaney 75′), 3 Alex Maughan (18 Conor Young 51′), 4 Reegan O’Gorman (20 Max Katjijeko 30′), 5 Jason Damm, 6 Bruce Kauika-Petersen (19 Bruce Yun 69′), 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Semi Kunatani, 9 Tas Smith, 10 Jason Emery, 11 Jack Shaw (22 Henry Speight 49′), 12 Brooklyn Hardaker (16 Wilton Rebolo 23′-28′) (21 Cristian Rodriguez 76′), 13 Will Leonard, 14 Andrew Coe, 15 James Stokes (23 Rory van Vugt 60′)
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, June 8
Venue: SaberCats Stadium, Houston
Kickoff: 19:00 local
Weather: sunny, 92°F (33°C), wind SE 12-18mph (19-29km/h)
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Luke Rogan (USA)
Assistants: Moe Chaudhry (Canada) & Blair McClure (USA)
TMO: Mike Kelly (USA)
| HIGHLIGHTS |
