Houston SaberCats vs Seattle Seawolves: Rugby Match Preview

The game: Houston SabreCats (12-1) vs. Seattle Seawolves (10-3)
When or: 6:00 p.m. Saturday; SaberCats Stadium
How to watch: FS1

The second clash between Major League Rugby’s top two teams marks a big week for the league, which will have four matches televised on FS1. The Houston-Seattle game was originally scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Seawolves are the only team within single digits of the SaberCats in ranking points, seven behind Houston with 50. Seattle was one of four teams to join the SaberCats in playoff qualifying last week, beating the Utah Warriors 68-29 to tie Dallas for the title. most points in a game this season.

Houston earned its seventh straight victory last week by beating RFC Los Angeles 29-12. One of the SaberCats’ most notable victories this season was a 42-40 triumph on March 22 in Seattle, their first victory at Starfire Stadium.

The SaberCats led 23-8 at halftime but had to maintain the advantage in the end. Another challenge is expected from the team that ended Houston’s previous two playoff runs.

“They’re going to be in that Houston surge, so we’re looking forward to that,” SaberCats guard Drew Wild said. “We love playing against Seattle. We love playing against these top teams and at the moment we look at Seattle as the other best team in the competition, so I think if we can put them aside it will put us in a really good position to finish in this first place.

Flyhalf Davy Coetzer was the SaberCats’ top scorer last year and continues to be a top playmaker. He beat eight defenders and racked up more than 140 yards on 10 carries, adding nearly 300 yards against RFC Los Angeles.

His ability to accelerate was on display last week, putting him on the field for a key try in the first half. Coetzer finished the game with 10 points, including a penalty and a penalty. Andre Warner scored the other try for the SaberCats, with the other two tries coming from the penalty spot.

The SaberCats are allowing 13.9 points per game during their winning streak, but should be tested against a Seawolves team that had seven tries at halftime against Utah.

Jade Stighling scored three of her four tries in the first half, the third on a turnover try. Lauina Futi added three tries for Seattle. Former SaberCats player Joe Taufete’e has been a key starter for Seattle and scored twice against Houston last time out.