By Aaron Wilson
There will be a lot of emotions at this early stage of the season, and more stakes than there normally are for a match in March.
That’s because this one is for first place in the Western Conference.
The undefeated SaberCats and Seattle Seawolves both have identical 3-0 records and are tied in the standings. The showdown is set for Friday night in Seattle.
Acquired in a trade from Seattle in exchange for Joe Taufete’e before the season, SaberCats fly half A.J. Alatimu played for the Seawolves for the past three seasons.
“It will be exciting,” Alatimu said. “Just to see them and go against them, it will be fun.”
Alatimu is one of multiple newcomers on a revamped squad that has already earned victories over the Utah Warriors, RFC Los Angeles and the Miami Sharks.
Alatimu scored 107 points for Seattle last season after leading Major League Rugby with 164 points and 67 goals kicked and 5,521 kicking meters in 2022.
“I have a bit of experience,” said Alatimu, a native of Samoa. “I’m used to big matches.”
The SaberCats have 79 points overall, two more than Seattle, following a bonus point win over Miami last week.
“We’re excited,” Christian Dyer said. “We’re going to try to continue this momentum going into Seattle and Dallas. So, we’re in a good spot. We’re still hungry to get better. We have a lot of respect for Seattle. They have a good side, but we’re going to focus on us this week.”
The SaberCats have shuffled their lineup a lot, dividing playing time extensively throughout the roster. Some of the key players from last season’s 10-win playoff squad have been coming off the bench or are inactive for games.
“That just comes down to our culture,” Dyer said. “The boys are pretty selfless. We have a lot of new guys, but they’re all experienced, world-class players. They’re just from another team. They’re gelling really well here.”
Johan Momsen, a lock previously with the Atlanta franchise, has been one of the top newcomers so far.
A big match like this week is what he joined the SaberCats for.
“We’ve got a very good culture,” Momsen said. “This is going to be a tough one. They’re one of the top ones in the Western Conference. It’s going to be a good one up in Seattle.”
