By Aaron Wilson
On a sun-splashed, beautiful day, the Houston SaberCats jogged onto the field for the first time of the season before a loyal and loud fan base.
And the SaberCats, true to their ‘We not me’ adage instilled by veteran returning coach Pote Human, displayed sound teamwork and skill in their preseason debut Saturday afternoon.
The SaberCats, with a loaded ‘Experience it Live’ roster as the defending Western Conference division champions, got off to a strong start with a 38-19 comeback victory over the Nola Gold.
The home team overcame a somewhat slow start, trailing 19-14 at halftime, before scoring multiple tries to take the lead and keep it for good at SaberCats Stadium.
“The boys are feeling good,” fly half and fullback Max Schumacher said after scoring a try in his second season with the squad. “A lot cohesion, encouraging start for sure. The goal in the preseason is to get more cohesion together as a group playing for the first time against an opponent. It was good to get a win, but I think we accomplished more than just a win.”
The SaberCats finished with a franchise-record 14-2 record last season and were the top seed in the Major League Rugby playoffs before an upset loss to the Dallas Jackals in the Western Conference division semifinals.
Since that defeat in the SaberCats’ third consecutive playoff appearance, they have retained the bulk of their roster, including high-scoring fly half Davy Coetzer, towering team captain and lock Nathan Den Hoedt, team captain and returning all-star Johan Momsen, center Dominic Akina, fly half and center AJ Alatimu, back row Emmanuel Albert, prop Pono Davis, wing Drake Davis, back row Ronan Murphy, wing Jeremy Misailegalu, back row Marno Redelinghuys, center Tautalatasi Tasi, hooker Seth Smith, outside back Seimout Smith, scrumhalf Andre Warner, fullback Drew Wild, Sam Hill, Justin Basson, Jay Renton, Aiden Kerr, Keni Nasoqeqe, Larome White, Val Lee-Lo, Pita Anae-Ah Sue, inside center Louritz van der Schyff and several other experienced players.
“It was just a friendly game, but I know we have a good squad here,” Human said. “The guys played really well. I’m excited, but it’s early days. We were very fortunate not to have any injuries. That was my big worry because we don’t have that big of a squad. Going forward, we can build on this. Especially the way we want to play and play more with the ball in our hands.”
Between newcomers like Sam Tuifua and Javon Camp-Villalovos, previously with the now-defunct Jackals, Scottish-born prop Michael Scott and others, the SaberCats are putting it all together with plenty of optimism for this season.
“I think it was good,” Den Hoedt said. “I think the first half we started a bit slow and then we built up. We scored some good tries. In the second half, really good performance. There’s a lot to work on, obviously. We have a more expansive style of play. We like to hold onto the ball a little bit more than in the past. Hopefully, we get a chance to show that in the season.”
Akina, Schumacher, Wild, van der Schyff, Coetzer and Tuifua all scored tries.
“It feels amazing after last year and how everything ended,” Seimou Smith said. “That left everyone with a sour taste in their mouths. We’re a family again. No introductions needed. Everybody is happy and energized. We did what we wanted to do. No pressure, no win or lose factor in this scrimmage. We wanted to come out and enjoy ourselves.“I saw a lot of smiles with our offense playing into the space. It was amazing. First half, a little slow and second half we ramped it up. We learned from last year. It’s not about how you start. It’s about how you end the season. I love playing rugby. I love playing for the SaberCats and I love playing in Houston.”
Coetzer scored on a breakaway try, racing into the clear untouched for the score.
“First game of the season, we’re trying things out and training on what we’ve worked on to try to express ourselves,” Coetzer said. “There were some really nice tries and a lot of things to work on. It feels good. A lot of the boys are back, building off the chemistry from the past three years. Last year, you saw how well we did.”
Akina, another one of the faster players on the roster, showed off his speed in the open field and his fitness. The entire team has put a lot of time into strength and conditioning.
“We want to reach our goal and take it day by day and our ultimate goal of bringing a shield to Houston,” Akina said. ‘It was good.”
As a newcomer to the squad, Tuifua is already making a big impression.
“It’s pretty good to be here,” Tuifua said. “It’s a huge privilege. It’s definitely good to be here. I knew like half the team. I got to come in and build new connections. I scored. I was pretty lucky to be sitting on the edge and the ball found me, and I was fortunate to get in there.”
Human called Coetzer’s performance “amazing,” adding that “everyone played well.”
He emphasized the culture and the standard the team has already established.
“It’s not about me, the coach or one player, it’s everybody together: we not me,” Human said. “We’re a family. The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing. Everything is focused on Chicago and the first game. The guys are really fit and have worked really hard.”
The SaberCats are hoping more and more fans come out to ‘Experience it Live’ and watch them play.
“We want them to come out and we want to entertain them and make them proud,” Human said. “That’s the reason why most of the guys are back from last year. The last game in the playoffs, that hurt us. We want to rectify that. We’re Houston’s team.”
Den Hoedt is encouraged by the vibes surrounding a successful team hoping to win a championship and increase and enjoy more and more support from the community.
“All of the guys are buying in,” Den Hoedt said. “We obviously love when the stadium is packed. We hear them. It makes a big difference for us. I think with the brand of rugby Pote is bringing this season, I think it’s going to be really exciting and obviously build on what we did last season. Hopefully, those seats are filled. The boys love it when they’re there.”