By Aaron Wilson
The last time the SaberCats faced the Seattle Seawolves early this season, they made history.
For the first time ever, the Western Conference division leaders defeated their conference rivals with a narrow 42-40 road victory in the Pacific Northwest.
And the SaberCats have continued their winning ways heading into Saturday night’s home match against Seattle.
The SaberCats are 12-1 and have already clinched a Major League Rugby playoff berth. The Seawolves are 10-3 overall and have a talented roster.
“It’s going to be another tough matchup, especially because we’re getting toward the end of the season,” Dominic Akina said. “People are really trying to pick up those playoff spots. Playing the same team two or three times, it puts a lot of pressure on us and we’ve just got to execute. In championship games, that’s when your best is needed. That’s when we need to perform as we go into the playoffs.”
This amounts to the equivalent of an early playoff match, setting the stage for what’s likely to unfold in the postseason as the SaberCats head to the playoffs for the third year in a row.
“I think it’s definitely heading in the right direction,” AJ Alatimu said. “I think it all starts at the top. I think it’s been really good engagement from ownership to everyone in the office to the coaching staff and the players. It’s a big step forward for the franchise. We can keep building on it.“We’re a big family. Everybody has bought into what the coaches are teaching and their vision. We had a culture camp at the start of the season. We started being comfortable around each other right away. That keeps us going and winning.
The SaberCats keep winning and they keep chasing their goal: A Major League Rugby championship.
“Yes, that’s correct,” Emmanuel Albert said. “We’re trying to get the shield this year. We can with this team this year, this atmosphere. Everyone is very driven to be the ones at the end of the season lifting the shield.”
The SaberCats are coming off a home win over RFC Los Angeles. Now, they return to action in front of growing home crowds as the support has been stronger and stronger throughout the season.
The SaberCats’ starting lineup for the Seattle match includes Rob Cobb, Pita Anae-Ah Sue, Pono Dais, Justin Basson, Nathan Den Hoedt, Ronan Murphy, Keni Nasoqeqe, Gideon van Wyk, Andre Warner, Alatimu, Seimou Smith, Louirtiz Van Der Schuff, Taulatasi Tasi, Christian Dyer and Coetzer.
“Seattle is a very tough opponent,” Davy Coetzer said. “We take it week by week and keep the main focus.”
