By Aaron Wilson
Familiarity will be a major factor in Saturday night’s Texas showdown playoff match between the Houston SaberCats and the Dallas Jackals.
This marks the third meeting between the two Western Conference division rivals.
And this represents a high-stakes encounter in the Western semifinals for the top-seeded, 14-2 SaberCats as they attempt to beat the Jackals for the third time this season.
“It will be a different game for sure,” Andre Warner said. “Different atmosphere, different teams. They’re a good team, but we focus on ourselves. We’re looking forward to the playoff. It will be two completely different teams and a different mindset.”
The SaberCats defeated the Jackals, 29-28, to close out the regular season. After racing out to a commanding halftime lead, the SaberCats went flat in the second half while fielding a different lineup than normal because the match had no playoff seeding implications.
Now, the match is a bigger deal as this is a single-elimination playoff format. The SaberCats have set their ambitions on raising the shield Aug. 4 in San Diego at the Major League Rugby championship. To get to that point, though, they have to take care of business against the Jackals to keep advancing.
“I guess we’ll find out,” Johan Momsen said. “It’s all about performing under pressure. It’s been different us. There will be pressure on us, but it’s all about not changing our game.
That means sticking with what works: a blueprint of sound defense, aggressive offense and a physical style for a deep roster.
“Our game plan stays very similar,” Ronan Murphy said. “We just focus on ourselves. Whoever’s in front of us, we’re going to go out and smash.”
Tickets, including VIP and premium seating, remain available for this big-time match at SaberCats Stadium.
“The fans are all getting behind us,” Momsen said. “It’s great. You see the winning is helping and they’re hearing about the team. I love it. It’s great.”
Although the SaberCats and Jackals know each other well, the playoffs makes this an altogether different kind of experience.
“We have a lot of confidence going into the playoffs,” Momsen said. “We had a little bit of a wakeup call the last two weeks to work on everything we’ve been lacking on a litlte bit.”
The SaberCats, headlined by Davy Coetzer and other top contributors, insist they’re ready.
“When the SaberCats’ backs are against the wall, I would completely double down on us,” Christian Dyer said. “We’re definitely proud to be in the position we are in, but we’re so far from our goal. And that’s Aug. 4, raising the shield.”
