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The grand finale of Week 3 is the second edition of the Texas Cup. Though Austin have played Houston on four previous occasions, the Cup was introduced in 2020 to spice up the natural rivalry between the stately neighbors. It is awarded to the winner of each match with the Gilgronis currently the holders.
That contest in March of last year was hugely competitive and historic in nature – it was the first victory for Austin since the 2018 season, a stretch of 22 games without a win that spanned the entirety of the 2019 campaign. Houston were the home side on that day but it’s Austin who play hosts on Saturday.
The Gilgronis will be looking to not only retain their bragging rights but also erase their preseason loss to Houston at AVEVA Stadium last month. Much has changed in the time since, however, with new players arriving for the SaberCats and injuries affecting both sides.
Austin are winless after two regular season games but they are no longer pushovers with both narrow defeats of three points or less. They were bested by Utah in their home opener and came up short to San Diego last week. A third consecutive loss at Bold Stadium would be a wretched start to what looked to be a promising outlook ahead of the season.
Concussion protocol has ruled out Bryce Campbell so Sebastian de Chaves leads the side this week. He is partnered by Christian Ostberg, who makes his long-awaited MLR debut with Michael de Waal sliding to No8. A straight swap in the backs sees Rodrick Waters starting on the wing in place of Cole Davis.
With Robbie Coetzee and Hugh Roach still out injured Mason Koch retains the No2 shirt and there are three props named on the bench. Reserve scrumhalf Sidney Shoop is named in a match day squad for the first time and Kurt Morath is recalled to cover flyhalf.
Houston meanwhile took a solid result over the Seawolves in Week 1 but crumbled to an embarrassing shutout defeat against New England last Saturday. They will have spent long hours reflecting during the week and a reaction can and must be expected.
The SaberCats have again rotated their entire front row while Bronson Teles is handed his first start on the blindside flank. It’s an all new halfback pairing with first starts for Zachary Short and Robbie Povey. Sam Windsor moves to the midfield with Veramu Dikidikilati shifting to the wing.
Home field advantage counts for little in this match so the choice is down to form and potential. Austin despite their losses still look a very competitive side and at some point ‘not quite’ will be replaced by ‘just made it’. Look for Houston to rebound from their Free Jacks nightmare but a complete reversal of fortunes looks just out of reach. Take Austin to retain the Cup.
Kickoff is set for 7pm local time, 5pm Pacific, 8pm Eastern. Live broadcasts will be available on KXAN in Austin and The Rugby Network worldwide. A delayed broadcast will be available on AT&T Sportsnet Southwest on Sunday.
AUSTIN GILGRONIS
1 Jamie Mackintosh, 2 Mason Koch, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Sebastian de Chaves (capt.), 5 Christian Ostberg, 6 Dom Bailey, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Michael de Waal, 9 Pele Cowley, 10 Mack Mason, 11 Conner Mooneyham, 12 Ned Hodson, 13 Frank Halai, 14 Rodrick Waters, 15 Will Magie
Replacements: 16 LaRome White, 17 Jake Turnbull, 18 Mason Pedersen, 19 Reegan O’Gorman, 20 Kyle Breytenbach, 21 Sidney Shoop, 22 Kurt Morath, 23 Cole Davis
HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Valdemar Lee-Lo, 2 Diego Fortuny, 3 Charlie Connolly, 4 Kody O’Neil, 5 Van Stewart, 6 Bronson Teles, 7 Luke Beauchamp (capt.), 8 Diego Magno, 9 Zachary Short, 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Veramu Dikidikilati, 12 Sam Windsor, 13 Gabe Farley, 14 Paula Balekana, 15 Matías Freyre
Replacements: 16 Nicolás Solveyra, 17 Tiaan Erasmus, 18 Nikoloz Khatiashvili, 19 Lucas Albornoz, 20 Adriaan Booysen, 21 Jinho Mun, 22 Taylor Howden, 23 Zach Pangelinan
Date: Saturday, April 3
Venue: Bold Stadium, Austin
Kickoff: 19:00 local (17:00 Pacific, 20:00 Eastern)
Broadcasts: AT&T Sportsnet Southwest, KXAN, The Rugby Network
Historical Results:
2020-03-07 – Houston SaberCats 20, Austin Gilgronis 24 (AVEVA Stadium)
2019-05-25 – Houston SaberCats 36, Austin Elite 15 (AVEVA Stadium)
2019-01-26 – Austin Elite 20, Houston SaberCats 21 (Dell Diamond)
2018-04-28 – Houston SaberCats 50, Austin Elite 38 (Dyer Stadium)
