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It’s here! It’s finally here! The day American fans have been waiting for has arrived. Major League Rugby kicks off on Saturday and it all begins at Dyer Stadium where the Houston SaberCats will host the New Orleans Gold in the first ever regular season match of the new competition.
These two teams have already met twice in preseason action. Their first match saw the SaberCats take a convincing 30-12 win at home but the rematch in New Orleans ended in a draw. NOLA have since shown dramatic improvement so this one promises to be a very competitive affair.
Justin Fitzpatrick has been consistent with his selections throughout Houston’s 11-match exhibition schedule in 2018 and there are only minor changes to the established first choice side. Paul Mullen is unavailable so Adam Macklin will start at tighthead prop with Jake Turnbull coming in at loosehead. Lindsey Stevens has beaten Diego Maquieira to the first number 2 shirt of the season and similarly Robert Meeson gets the nod ahead of Justin Allen in the second row.
Both sides have selected unusual combinations on the bench. The SaberCats have named six forwards and no established halfback replacement meaning Zach Pangelinan and Conor Mills will in all likelihood be called on to step up should Connor Murphy or Sam Windsor require a substitution.
NOLA have opted for their most experienced front row unit with Cam Falcon named in the reserves. John Sullivan replaces the injured Vince Jobo on the blindside flank as expected and Matt Wirken is the nominee to lock the scrum beside Chilean international Nikola Bursic.
The backline is as expected though there is a return for Jojo Tikoisuva on the left wing. Four backs are named in the reserves leaving only four forwards with no obvious loose forward cover aside from Bursic although midfielder Zack Stryffeler has played as a flanker in the past.
Houston have proved a better side at home and in front of what is expected to be a strong crowd they should be spurred on to a better performance than the draw at Archbishop Shaw. The Gold are no joke, they have quality throughout their starting side but Houston’s strength in depth combined with NOLA’s lack of forward replacements tips the scales further in the direction of the SaberCats. Look for the home side to get their season off on the a winning note.
Kickoff is set for 2pm local, 3pm Eastern. American viewers can watch live on AT&T SportsNet and also streaming on ESPN+. All international viewers including Canadians can watch a live stream on Major League Rugby’s Facebook page.
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Jake Turnbull, 2 Lindsey Stevens, 3 Adam Macklin, 4 Charlie Hewitt, 5 Robert Meeson, 6 Kyle Sumsion (capt.), 7 Cecil Garber, 8 Matt Trouville, 9 Connor Murphy, 10 Sam Windsor, 11 Alex Elkins, 12 Conor Mills, 13 Osea Kolinisau, 14 Josua Vici, 15 Zach Pangelinan
Replacements: 16 Diego Maquieira, 17 Estevan Florez, 18 Petey Hepburn, 19 Justin Allen, 20 Chris Parker, 21 Chris Coyle, 22 Malacchi Esdale, 23 Dan Paul
NEW ORLEANS GOLD
1 Hubert Buydens, 2 Eric Howard, 3 Ben Tarr, 4 Nikola Bursic, 5 Matt Wirken, 6 John Sullivan, 7 Matt Hughston, 8 Sebastián Kalm, 9 Holden Yungert, 10 Taylor Howden (capt.), 11 Jojo Tikoisuva, 12 JP Eloff, 13 Tim Maupin, 14 Bobby Johns, 15 Michael Baska
Replacements: 16 Amro Gouda, 17 Cam Falcon, 18 Derrek van Klein, 19 Myles McQuone, 20 Peceli Rinakama, 21 Zack Stryffeler, 22 Moni Tonga’uiha, 23 Melvin DeSouza
Date: Saturday, April 21
Venue: Dyer Stadium, Houston
Kickoff: 14:00 local (12:00 Pacific, 15:00 Eastern)
Broadcasts: AT&T SportsNet, ESPN+, Facebook
