By Aaron Wilson
Off the bounce, Davy Coetzer tracked the ball adeptly and raced in to chase down the ricochet.
His momentum was unhalted after securing the carom as Coetzer raced in for a breakaway try for the SaberCats in a 29-12 victory over RFC Los Angeles.
Between his try and contributing a conversion kick, Coetzer continues to provide a scoring punch for the 12-1 SaberCats.
He was named first XV fly half by Major league Rugby for this past week after recording 11 carries, 139 meters made, eight defenders beaten, one linebreak and one turnover won.
One of the top scorers in Major League Rugby, Coetzer’s speed, playmaking skills and consistency have been a constant for the Western Conference division leaders.
Not that he’s satisfied, though.
There is zero complacency in Coetzer.
“I don’t think I’ve hit my full stride yet,” Coetzer said. “I just try to take it week by week and just add to my game and add to my contributions to the team.”
The SaberCats have a difficult match this week against the Seattle Seawolves after beating them earlier this season.
“Seattle is a very tough opponent,” Coetzer said. “We take it week by week and keep the main focus there.”
On a revamped roster, Coetzer isn’t the only scoring threat. There are multiple options on the attack.
“I think we’ve got a good all-around team and attack game, making the right decisions and playing the right options at the right times,” Coetzer said. “A lot of boys have put their hands up this season and are playing some really good rugby.”
The SaberCats’ star fly-half finished second among all Major League Rugby players in scoring with 135 points last year and was third in successful goal kicks with 43 overall despite missing three matches with a knee injury.
Back for his third season with the SaberCats after the Port Elizabeth, South Africa native signed a new contract this offseason, Coetzer is aiming for much more than statistics this season. He’s chasing a championship.
“Culture is something we talk about a lot with our team, and the main thing is for us is to get along and you need to have a good culture from start to finish,” Coetzer said. “Culture keeps us grinding and supporting each other and everyone having a common goal of winning the whole thing.“We have such a good squad that it’s easier to rotate our players. We have motivated guys. The strength of the team is giving certain guys one-on-ones and playing to the strength of the team. I think the signings we made are great signings, not just good players, but very good people that add to the culture.”
Coetzer has provided a consistent scoring threat.
With speed and moves at his disposal, Coetzer figures out the angles and finds a scoring path.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder has made strides in his game.
The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder has made strides in his game.
“He’s a little warrior,” SaberCats director Heyneke Meyer said. “He’s played better and better.”
An emphasis for Coetzer is making progress on his kicking percentage.
“It’s always good to focus on improvement and there’s still a lot to be made,” Coetzer said. “I have goals as far as kicking percentage. It gives you a little boost in confidence. A lot of hard work went into this offseason, hopefully getting over 80 percent kicking percentage. That’s one of the things we’re constantly working on.”
The win over RFC Los Angeles gave the SaberCats a bonus point triumph.
“Yeah, I didn’t think it was the best performance,” Coetzer said. “We’re still not taking advantage. It’s too many errors we’re making in the game, but when you’re making errors and not playing to your full potential and still winning, it’s a good thing. It’s week by week and working to still improve. That’s a big thing.
“I think I made quite a few unforced errors still. I was trying to play my game and stick to the plan of what we’re doing. At the end of the day, we’ll take the win. Those penalty tries, that was the difference, forcing them back so we can continue dominating out there.”
