By Aaron Wilson
From the perspective of coach Pote Human, turning the page on an opening-match loss involves more than simply chalking it up to rust and first-game miscues.
It’s about learning from the unforced errors that plagued the Houston SaberCats in a defeat to the Chicago Hounds.
Now, the SaberCats hope to apply those lessons heading into their first road match of the season Sunday against RFC Los Angeles.
“I think we learned a lot,” Human said. “We can’t take anything for granted. No easy games. Anyone can beat anyone. It was a big wakeup call for us. I think we’ll be ready for Sunday.”
In the loss to Chicago, the SaberCats fell, 25-22, after building a 17-12 halftime lead.
There were several penalties and other breakdowns that allowed Chicago to take the lead and hold maintain an advantage in the second half.
“It was a disappointment,” Human said. “We had such a great preseason. We really played so well. I was always worried after the preseason game against Chicago. We were up 10 points in the first half, and I think our guys thought, ‘Here we go again.’ They played a lot better in the second half. We didn’t play well.
“It was a huge disappointment. Now, we go to LA. We have to play well and get a win over there. I know it’s going to be difficult. They’re also coming off a loss, so it’s a huge game for both teams.”
The SaberCats got some strong performances from Dominic Akina and Marno Redelinghuys against the Hounds.
Akina was named Major League Rugby first-team insider center for the first game of the season after eight carries, 90 meters made, two defenders beaten, two line breaks and five offloads.
Redelinghuys was named Man of the Match after a seven-carry, eight tackle, one breakdown steal and 13 ruck arrivals game.
“Individually, Dominic and Marno played very well in the loss,” Human said.
Los Angeles is coming off a narrow loss to the New England Free Jacks.
They have an overhauled roster.
“They have a really good team,” Human said. “They’ve got very good players. They played very well last week in that loss to New England. They were unlucky not to pull through.“New England has a good side. It’s going to be a great game. They’re also going to want to play sound rugby. It’s going to be an awesome challenge.”
Specifically, the SaberCats are working to get better in multiple areas.
“We worked very hard this week on lineouts,” Human said. “We must be better in that department. We really worked hard on set pieces this week.”
Due to penalties and spacing issues in the open field, the SaberCats struggled after dominating Chicago, 61-19, in a preseason match at SaberCats Stadium one week before a surprising loss in the season-opener.
“It was a tough loss, being a competitor,” Jeremy Misailegalu said. “You want to learn from the opener and get better.”
