Construction delays on the new AVEVA Stadium in Houston have resulted in the relocation of five SaberCats matches and the US Eagles test against Brazil on February 23. It had been hoped that the new purpose-built rugby venue would be open in time for the 2019 home opener on February 22 but extraordinary amounts of rain saw the project completion date pushed back by a month.
As a result two preseason matches and the first three games of the regular season will now be played at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, a venue familiar to SaberCats fans with the baseball stadium hosting a number of exhibition fixtures earlier this year. The new date set for the first match at AVEVA Stadium is Saturday, March 23, against the Utah Warriors.
The SaberCats will play Major League Rugby warm-up matches against Austin Elite on January 12 and the Glendale Raptors on January 19. Both will be played in Sugar Land.
Also forced to change locations is the Americas Rugby Championship match between the USA and Brazil. Scheduled for Saturday, February 23, the match was intended to be part of the opening weekend at AVEVA Stadium but will now be played at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.