By Aaron Wilson
Friday night means another big match for the Houston SaberCats.
Another hard-nosed encounter with the Seattle Seawolves.
On the road, no less.
Leading the Western Conference division again after a resounding home victory over the Utah Warriors last week, the SaberCats’ match against Seattle will be broadcast on ESPN+.
The SaberCats are holding a watch party at Platypus Brewing on Washington Avenue with kickoff set for 9:30 pm.
The SaberCats are 9-4 with 47 points overall. The Seawolves have had an uncharacteristically up-and-down season with a 6-6-1 record, but traditionally have always been a difficult opponent for the SaberCats.
“That’s going to be really tough, so one step at a time,” Drake Davis said. “We’ll get there. The push we’re making, this is the time. This is the perfect time to be playing, and I’m just enjoying it.”
The SaberCats have had to make some adjustments to the starting lineup due to the attrition of the season.
They’ll go with Larome White, Pita Anae-Ah Sue, Pono Davis, Justin Basson, Nathan Den Hoedt, Keni Nasoqeqe, Johan Momsen, Tinashe Muchena, Jay Renton, A.J. Alatimu, Juan-Dee Oliver, Sam Hill, Taulatasi Tasi, Rufus McLean and Drew Wild.
“The last games, work needs to be done,” Oliver said. “This isn’t an easy match. It looks like all of them will be tough, but we look forward to that challenge again.”
The SaberCats were named Major League Rugby’s Team of the Week after scoring five tries against the Warriors, including two apiece from Seth Smith and Oliver and the team piling up 136 tackles and 1,207 meters kicked. Oliver and Smith were recognized as First XV.
“We always know every time we play Seattle, it’s a close, physical game,” Smith said. “So, we just need to bring the physicality again.”
