By Aaron Wilson
Racing off to a commanding lead with a series of tries in the first half, the SaberCats ultimately defeated the Dallas Jackals to close out a successful regular sseason.
Although the second half became something of an adventure as that large advantage evaporated, the SaberCats held on for a 29-28 victory as Davy Coetzer knocked in a penalty kick in the final seconds for the match-winning score Saturday night in front of a raucous home crowd followed by a fireworks celebration.
Now, the playoffs await the top-seeded and 14-2 SaberCats as they will host the Jackals again in the Western Conference division semifinals July 20 at SaberCats Stadium.
“We were taking this last stretch as a mini playoff block, taking the mindset like we needed to win every game or else we would be eliminated,” Ronan Murphy said. “That was a perfect example of knockout rugby. We take it all the way to the 81st minute and then sink a penalty to win. Davy caps it off with a huge run to finish it with a kick. You can’t ask for anything better than that.
“We were just treating it like a playoff. We didn’t care that it didn’t matter. We were treating it like a win-or-go-home mentality. We just focus on ourselves. Whoever’s in front of us, we try to go out and smash. A win is a win.”
The SaberCats built a 26-0 lead before allowing their first score for a 26-7 halftime edge.
Between tries from Christian Dyer, Andre Warner and Justin Basson, the SaberCats were way out in front of a team they’ll face again in the postseason.
“We weren’t thinking much about seeing them in the playoffs,” Dyer said. “We were focused on this game. Credit to Dallas. They brought it to us in the second half. We didn’t play up to our standards. It wasn’t good enough. We hold ourselves accountable.”
Coetzer’s points at the end of the match represented the SaberCats’ only points of the second half.
It was a different story altogether than the first half. The Jackals took away the SaberCats’ early momentum.
“We are disappointed in that,” Warner said. “We’ll look at what happened. We weren’t good enough, but still happy to get the win. Quality teams win games when you’re not at your best. They rested a few guys. They’re a quality team, but we focus on ourselves.
“We’re very proud of our record. We’ve worked hard. We know what the playoffs are about. Being 14-2 is awesome, but we’re just focusing on one game at a time.”
The SaberCats manufactured the best regular season in franchise history and won the most matches in Major League Rugby behind a team-first, unselfish approach that emphasized athleticism, toughness and lineup flexibility.
“Obviously, the standings are great,” Murphy said. “It’s great to be the No. 1 seed, but we’ve got a lot of unfinished business. We’ve gone two seasons in a row getting knocked out in the playoffs, so we want to set the ship in the right direction this time.”
The SaberCats have earned the right to be in this position.
They won eight consecutive regular-season matches before that streak was snapped against the San Diego Legion.
“We’re definitely proud to be in the position we’re in,” Dyer said. “We’re still not at our goal, which is to raise the shield. The next step is the Western Conference semifinal. That’s where our focus is now.”
The SaberCats have a few days off from practice before getting back to work on preparations for their first playoff match.
“The season is behind us now,” Jeremy Misailegalu said. “Now, we focus on the playoffs. It’s been a journey. Anytime it’s a rivalry game, it’s going to be close. In the game of rugby, you can’t sleep on anybody.”
