By Aaron Wilson
The Houston SaberCats will travel thousands of miles again this week, criss-crossing the nation one more time.
The SaberCats didn’t travel this far just to come this far.
Representing the Western Conference division after dispatching the top-seeded Utah Warriors on the road on the West Coast, the SaberCats are not satisfied merely with being a part of the Major League Rugby championship against the New England Free Jacks.
They head into a Saturday afternoon match at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island not just happy to be there on the East Coast.
They’re in it to win it all and achieve their goal of claiming the Shield.
Simply put, the job is not finished for the SaberCats after winning the first two playoff matches in franchise history.
“It’s 100 percent the mentality,” SaberCats team captain Nathan “Moose” Den Hoedt said. “It’s one thing to make it, but, at the end of the day, you don’t want to just be there to be there. You want to go there, and you want to win it. If you’re going to go tothe championship game, you want it to be something special. And that means winning it. So, that’s what we’re going there to do.”
The SaberCats’ up-and-down season has included losing key players to season-ending injuries and some upset defeats along the way.
Now, they’re well-positioned to win a championship against a formidable opponent.
In order to do so, they need to defeat a popular two-time defending champion playing in its home territory roughly 37 miles from their headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts.
“Obviously, emotions are high, but we still haven’t really won anything yet,” SaberCats assistant coach Vic Meyer said. “It’s back to neutral and trying to bring the Shield back home to Houston.”
AJ Alatimu, who scored a team-high 13 points against the Warriors, echoed that sentiment.
“It’s an unreal feeling, really proud of the boys, but the job isn’t done,” he said.
The Free Jacks are the heavy favorites despite a narrow one-point victory over the Chicago Hounds to qualify for their third consecutive championship final. And they have a significant home-field advantage due to the geography of the match and the strong support of their fans.
“I guess it takes the pressure off,” SaberCats team captain Johan Momsen said. “At the end of the day, every game is won or lost. We’ve been really good. We’ve just focused on what we do best and going to the championship game. I think we’re going to stick to our guns and do what we do best.”
Among the top performers for the Free Jacks: hooker Andrew Quattrin and wing Paula Balekana.
“I think it’s pretty obvious the last two or three years, they’ve probably been the team to beat,” Den Hoedt said. “They’re retained a similar squad for multiple years. They have a great kicking game, a great set piece. So, we need to nullify those things in order to get the win.”
The SaberCats are in uncharted waters.
They’re on the cusp of a championship. They’d love nothing more than to finish the fight.
“It’s massive,” Momsen said. “Four years in a row making the playoffs, but this is the first time really going up to the top, going for the championship game. It’s big for the city of Houston, and our fans coming out for four years supporting us and packing the stadium.“Just being able to give them something to watch, it’s special. As a group, we’re a big family and we enjoy spending time around each other. This is our final one, so just really embracing it all.”
