By Aaron Wilson
Squaring off with the Seattle Seawolves brings out the best from the Houston SaberCats.
In another extremely competitive match that was a hard-fought, physical and intense encounter, the SaberCats emerged with a back-and-forth victory Saturday night.
Playing in front of a raucous ‘Experience it Live’ crowd at SaberCats Stadium, the defending Western Conference division champs earned a 24-21 win that had its exciting and tense moments.
Late in the second half, Pita Anae-Ah Sue followed his boys out of scrum to push his way across the line for the game-winning try followed by an A.J. Alatimu conversion kick.
“We wanted to push it in and get across that line,” Anae-Ah Sue said. “It kept building and building and finally we got it in. That wasn’t all me. It was the forwards. We had a plan, and I was just the lucky one.
“Against these guys, one of our rivals for the past four or five years, it’s always a battle with these guys. Our first game of the season, we didn’t like that losing feeling, especially being at home. We wanted to win this one badly. We’ve got to keep building on our performance.”
The SaberCats needed every point after losing the lead in the second half after building a 14-7 halftime lead off tries by Dominic Akina and Rufus McLean.
In the second half, the SaberCats were constantly in Seattle territory. Winning for the third consecutive time over a conference rival wasn’t easy, and it never is when these two teams match up.
Alatimu’s precise kicking was a difference-maker for the SaberCats, who improved to 2-1 for the season overall and have won their past two matches following a season-opening setback against the Chicago Hounds. Now, the SaberCats are on a winning streak heading into next week’s road match against the Utah Warriors.
“Yeah, it’s always special playing against Seattle,” Davy Coetzer said. “You always know it will be a close game and a physical battle. Everybody stepped up and we got the win. Any game against Seattle, points aren’t easy to get. A.J. was absolutely phenomenal.”
Seattle tied the game off a try in the second half, then Alatimu hit a penalty kick before the Seawolves regained the advantage on a try.
It took everything the SaberCats had, plus playing within the rules while Seattle was conversely hit with two red cards and played down two men at the end of the match for infractions.
“It’s always a physical match with these guys,” Akina said. “We knew they were going to bring it. We had to match their intensity and take it a step further.”
The decision to take the points on an Alatimu penalty kick was an effective strategy.
“It’s game management and a shift in momentum,” Akina said. “That’s why we have the play-callers on the field to make those game management plays.”
Anae Ah-Sue also contributed 14 tackles and 13 carries.
Sam Tuifua had 18 carries to lead the squad.
McLean had a team-high 66 meters gained, and Max Schumacher beat five defenders.
This marked McLean, an experienced player from Scotland, scoring for the first time for the SaberCats.
The tenor of this match suited this international veteran perfectly.
“It definitely felt very physical,” Schumacher said. “You see those two red cards and it highlighted the intensity of the match. It was pretty hard-fought.
“It absolutely was a tale of two halves. In the first half, they were on our side of the field a lot. In the second half, the tables turned. I think overall we’ve got to work on a few things and get into the try zone and keep up that momentum.
