By Aaron Wilson
There are high stakes and high expectations for the Houston SaberCats for a Sunday night regular-season finale.
Let’s start with why a Sunday match at Houston SaberCats Stadium is so important.
Should the SaberCats (9-6) defeat winless Anthem RC (0-15) on Sunday, they have a chance to improve their seeding in the Major League Rugby playoffs.
The SaberCats can finish with the second seed and earn a home playoff match if they win and the Western Conference division leading Utah Warriors defeat Los Angeles this weekend.
The Warriors (10-5) have 53 total points, three more than Rugby Football Club Los Angeles and four more points than the SaberCats.
That’s the situation for the SaberCats’ Fan Appreciation Night.
“We definitely have a point to prove,” Seth Smith said. “We have a big point to prove. We want to give the fans some exciting rugby. They’ve been coming out here all year, tailgating hours before the matches. For all the fans who come out and support us, we need to finish strong. Hopefully, this isn’t the last home game of the year.”
The SaberCats won the Western Conference division last year and finished 14-2 and the top seed, but lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the Dallas Jackals.
They are 0-3 in the playoffs over the past three years.
“We talk about how the job isn’t finished,” Smith said. “It’s all good making the playoffs again, but what really matters is finishing the season right way. We’ve made the playoffs the past four years and, out of the last three, not a single playoff win. We’re really here to change the narrative.
“Three years without a single playoff win, 0-3 in the playoffs, that’s not any good. We lost more games this year and there’s better competition. That forces us to be better. We have a great group of guys. That culture helps us grind out and everybody comes together.”
The SaberCats are coming of a close road loss to the Chicago Hounds.
They need this one.
“If we can finish second, we will have that home playoff game,” team captain Nathan Den Hoedt said. “That would be a big deal. We need to take care of business.”
All season, the SaberCats have bounced back.
They’re a resilient bunch.
“We have definitely prided ourselves on that,” Den Hoedt said. “We like to win all the games, but you learn a lot about the team and each other from those losses more so than a win. It’s very important that we bounce back. We don’t have time to idle. We have to finish strong.”
