By Aaron Wilson
How do the Houston SaberCats maintain their competitive edge?
What does it take to stay atop the ultra-competitive Western Conference division?
What do the SaberCats need to improve after a narrow win over the NOLA Gold to snap a two-game losing streak?
The answer to those questions is somewhat simple: a direct focus, and not becoming complacent.
While the defending Western champions enjoyed their home victory, they were far from satisfied just winning by two points.
Now, they carry that motivational fuel into a Saturday night match at Houston SaberCats Stadium. The SaberCats host Old Glory D.C. for a game themed as H-Town Night.
They’re determined to start building some consistent momentum.
“Just unity, just fight for each other,” Pita Anae-Ah Su said. “Keeping the main thing, the main thing, which is us staying tight as a group and going back to the drawing board and looking at what we need to work on. Fix our mistakes and keep building on what we’re trying to do.”
The SaberCats, through nine games, have a 6-3 record and 32 points, one more than the Utah Warriors, who have played one less match and are 6-2 overall after losing a head-to-head matchup to Houston.
The San Diego Legion, another team the SaberCats have already beaten, are 5-4 and have 26 points.
“Not ever resting, every game is coming to us step by step,” Justin Basson said. “We just have to keep doing better.”
The SaberCats, even without standout Davy Coetzer as he recovers from a soft-tissue injury, have maintained their scoring punch.
They have 39 tries overall, one less than the Warriors. They rank second with 4,038 meters made behind Los Angeles.
Coetzer ranks fourth in scoring with 49 points.
Sam Tuifua, the Man of the Match against New Orleans, leads Major League Rugby with 114 carries. Tuifua also ranks first with 70 crossed gainline.
Andre Warner is fifth with 413 passes.
After getting back to their winning ways, the SaberCats need even better performances going forward as they push toward their ultimate goal: winning the Shield.
“We have the analogy of Mount Everest,” Seimou Smith said. “This was the bottom level of Mount Everest. We just have to keep climbing. We take away some of the mistakes, the basic errors, and we’ll have the advantage. It’s simple things and just being patient.”
