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Houston SaberCats

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Houston SaberCats
Full nameHouston SaberCats
Gegründet2017; 7 years ago (2017)
StandortHouston, Texas
Ground(s)SaberCats Stadium (Capacity: 4,000)
PresidentMike Sheehan
Coach(es)Pote Human
Captain(s)TBA
Top scorerSam Windsor (432)
Most triesSam Windsor (14)
League(s)Major League Rugby
2023Elimination round
3rd (Western Conference)
Team kit
Official website
www.houstonsabercats.com

The Houston SaberCats are an American professional rugby union team based in Houston, Texas. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby,[1] the top-level rugby union competition in the United States and Canada that played its first season in 2018. The SaberCats organization was born from one of the founding amateur rugby clubs that pooled resources to emerge professionally, and were the first in MLR membership to build a rugby-specific stadium intended for MLR competition.

Home field

Main article: SaberCats Stadium

Houston plays their games in SaberCats Stadium, which was opened on April 13, 2019.[2] In February 2018, the City of Houston agreed to fund $3.2 million of the $15.25 million needed to build a permanent rugby stadium for use by the Houston SaberCats at Houston Sports Park.[3] On July 17, the SaberCats announced that a three-year naming rights were awarded to British multinational software and technology company Aveva, and that it would be initially known as "Aveva Stadium".[4] Following this deal, the venue became known as "SaberCats Stadium".

Houston Sports Park is also the permanent training ground for Major League Soccer soccer team Houston Dynamo as well as the Houston Dash women's soccer team.

During the 2018 regular season, the SaberCats played their home matches at Dyer Stadium[5] and trained at Athlete Training and Health in Houston. The team also played at Constellation Field, home of the Sugar Land Skeeters, for part of the 2019 season, and for their exhibition matches in 2017 and 2018.[6] Also, in April 2019, while the new pitch at SaberCats Stadium healed, the team returned to Dyer Stadium to play one match against San Diego before returning to SaberCats Stadium.

Stadium Capacity Standort Year(s)
Dyer Stadium 6,000 Houston, Texas 2018
Constellation Field 7,500 Sugar Land, Texas 2018–2019
SaberCats Stadium 4,000 Houston, Texas 2019–present

Broadcasts

  • 2019 home games were shown on KUBE-TV an independent station in Houston.

Sponsorship

Season Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Other Shirt sponsor(s)
2018–2019 XBlades Aveva None
2020 Paladin Sports
2021 Lone Star College System
2022 Live Oak Vodka None
2023 None

Players and personnel

Current squad

For player movements before and during the 2024 season, see List of 2023–24 Major League Rugby transfers § Houston SaberCats.

The Houston SaberCats squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[7]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Tiaan Erasmus Hooker Südafrika Südafrika
Seth Smith Hooker Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Will Vakalahi Hooker Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Robb Cobb Prop Neuseeland Neuseeland
Pono Davis Prop Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Valdemar Lee-Lo Prop Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Ezekiel Lindenmuth Prop Samoa Samoa
Maks van Dyk Prop Südafrika Südafrika
Justin Basson Lock Südafrika Südafrika
Nathan Den Hoedt Lock Australien Australien
Siaosi Mahoni Lock Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Johan Momsen Lock Südafrika Südafrika
Marno Redelinghuys Lock Südafrika Südafrika
Emmanuel Albert Back row Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Orrin Bizer Back row Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Asa Carter Back row Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Ronan Murphy Back row Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Keni Nasoqeqe Back row Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Gideon van Wyk Back row Südafrika Südafrika
Player Position Union
Carlo de Nysschen* Scrum-half Südafrika Südafrika
AJ Alatimu Fly-half Samoa Samoa
Davy Coetzer Fly-half Südafrika Südafrika
Max Schumacher Fly-half Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Dom Akina Centre Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Sam Hill Centre England England
Tautalatasi Tasi Centre Australien Australien
Louritz van der Schyff Centre Südafrika Südafrika
Drake Davis Wing Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Christian Dyer Wing Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Gerrie Labuschagné Wing Südafrika Südafrika
Seimou Smith Wing Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Line Latu Fullback Vereinigte Staaten Vereinigte Staaten
Drew Wild Fullback Neuseeland Neuseeland
  • Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
  • * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
  • MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.

Current Coaching staff

  • Pote Human (Head Coach)
  • Ryan Nell (Assistant Coach – backs)
  • Jon Hood (Strength & Conditioning Coach)

Head coaches

Former Assistant Coaches

Captains

Records

Season standings

Season Conference Regular season Postseason
Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Pld W L F A +/− Result
2018 - 7th 8 1 0 7 216 256 −40 7 11 - - - - - - Did not qualify
2019 - 7th 16 6 0 10 345 496 −151 6 30 - - - - - - Did not qualify
2020[a] Western 6th 5 1 0 4 99 116 −17 2 6 - - - - - - Cancelled
2021 Western 6th 16 2 0 14 274 550 -276 5 13 - - - - - - Did not qualify
2022 Western 3rd 16 9 0 7 408 393 +15 12 48 1 0 1 27 46 -19 Lost West Conference Final (Seattle Seawolves) 27–46
2023 Western 3rd 16 10 0 6 484 413 +71 13 53 1 0 1 26 37 -11 Lost West Conference Eliminator Game (Seattle Seawolves) 26-37
Totals 77 29 0 48 1,826 2,224 -398 32 108 1 0 1 27 46 -19 2 postseason appearances

Notes

  1. ^ 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2018 season

Exhibition

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
November 18, 2017 Dallas Reds Away Won, 31–24
December 2, 2017 Dallas Harlequins Away Won, 125–0
December 9, 2017 Austin Blacks Away Won, 46–31
December 9, 2017 Austin Blacks Away Won, 55–14
December 16, 2017 Dallas Reds Startseite Won, 21–5
January 6, 2018 Seattle Saracens Away Won, 50–7
January 13, 2018 Vancouver Ravens Away Lost, 23–26
January 20, 2018 Uruguay National Team Startseite Lost, 24–32
January 27, 2018 James Bay Athletic Club Startseite Won, 42–13
February 3, 2018 Capital Selects Startseite Won, 49–3
February 10, 2018 Chicago Lions Startseite Won, 60–10
February 17, 2018 New York Athletic Club Away Won, 39–38
February 24, 2018 New Orleans Gold Startseite Won, 30–12
March 3, 2018 Ontario Arrows Startseite Draw, 28–28
March 24, 2018 New Orleans Gold Away Draw, 32–32
April 7, 2018 San Diego Legion Away Won, 33–17

Regular season

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
April 21 New Orleans Gold Startseite Lost, 26–35
April 28 Austin Elite Startseite Won, 50–38
May 4 San Diego Legion Away Lost, 32–35
May 19 New Orleans Gold Away Lost, 26–35
May 26 Utah Warriors Startseite Lost, 30–36
June 2 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Lost, 7–20
June 9 Glendale Raptors Away Lost, 24–37
June 23 Utah Warriors Away Lost, 27–31

2019 season

Exhibition

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
December 1, 2018 Austin Blacks Away Won, 78–12
December 8, 2018 Dallas Reds Away Won, 34–8
January 11, 2019 Austin Elite Startseite Lost, 10–14
January 19, 2019 Glendale Raptors Startseite Lost, 21–36

Regular season

Date Opponent Home/Away Venue Result
January 26 Austin Elite Away Dell Diamond Won, 21–20
February 9 San Diego Legion Away Torero Stadium Lost, 13–17
February 22 Toronto Arrows Startseite Constellation Field Lost, 27–44
March 2 Rugby United New York Startseite Constellation Field Lost, 8–35
March 10 Seattle Seawolves Away Starfire Sports Lost, 14–27
March 16 New Orleans Gold Startseite Constellation Field Lost, 11–49
March 23 Utah Warriors Startseite Constellation Field Won, 29–27
April 6 Glendale Raptors Away Infinity Park Lost, 44–52
April 13 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Aveva Stadium Lost, 12–52
April 21 Toronto Arrows Away York Stadium Lost, 21–35
April 27 San Diego Legion Startseite Dyer Stadium Lost, 19–41
May 5 Rugby United New York Away MCU Park Lost, 0–21
May 18 New Orleans Gold Away Archbishop Shaw Stadium Won, 27–20
May 25 Austin Elite Startseite Aveva Stadium Won, 36–15
May 29 Glendale Raptors Startseite Aveva Stadium Won, 32–17
June 1 Utah Warriors Away Zions Bank Stadium Won, 31–27

2020 season

On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the 2019–2020 coronavirus pandemic.[13] It was cancelled the following week[14]

Regular season

Date Opponent Home/Away Standort Result
February 8 Colorado Raptors Startseite Aveva Stadium Won, 21–12
February 16 Toronto Arrows Neutral Las Vegas Ballpark Lost, 22–27
February 22 Old Glory DC Startseite Aveva Stadium Lost, 13–22
March 1 Rugby United New York Startseite Aveva Stadium Lost, 23–31
March 7 Austin Gilgronis Startseite Aveva Stadium Lost, 20–24
March 14 New England Free Jacks Away Union Point Sports Complex Cancelled
March 21 Seattle Seawolves Away Starfire Stadium Cancelled
April 5 San Diego Legion Away Torero Stadium Cancelled
April 11 Utah Warriors Startseite Aveva Stadium Cancelled
April 18 Colorado Raptors Away Infinity Park Cancelled
April 26 Austin Gilgronis Away Round Rock Multipurpose Complex Cancelled
May 2 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Aveva Stadium Cancelled
May 9 New Orleans Gold Away Gold Mine Cancelled
May 16 San Diego Legion Startseite Aveva Stadium Cancelled
May 23 Rugby ATL Startseite Aveva Stadium Cancelled
May 30 Utah Warriors Away Zions Bank Stadium Cancelled

2021 season

Regular season

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
March 20 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Won, 30–24
March 27 New England Free Jacks Startseite Lost, 0–32
April 3 Austin Gilgronis Away Lost, 0–26
April 10 San Diego Legion Startseite Won, 34–32
April 17 LA Giltinis Startseite Lost, 48–33
April 24 Utah Warriors Away Lost, 50–43
May 8 New Orleans Gold Away Lost, 26–28
May 15 Toronto Arrows Startseite Lost, 10–19
May 22 Old Glory DC Startseite Lost, 13–21
May 29 San Diego Legion Away Lost, 11–39
June 5 Austin Gilgronis Startseite Lost, 9–28
June 13 LA Giltinis Away Lost, 5–52
June 19 Rugby ATL Away Lost, 15–33
June 26 Utah Warriors Startseite Lost, 5–24
July 10 Rugby United New York Away Lost, 19–54
July 15 Seattle Seawolves Away Lost, 21-40

2022 season

Regular season

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
February 5 LA Giltinis Startseite Won, 21–11
February 12 Rugby New York Startseite Lost, 7-10
February 19 Dallas Jackals Away Won, 38–33
February 26 San Diego Legion Startseite Lost, 20-31
March 5 Rugby ATL Away Lost, 22-29
March 12 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Won 21-19
March 26 Utah Warriors Away Won, 28-12
April 3 Austin Gilgronis Away Lost, 5-45
April 9 Dallas Jackals Startseite Won, 31-6
April 16 LA Giltinis Away Lost, 12-17
April 23 Toronto Arrows Startseite Won, 29-17
May 8 San Diego Legion Away Won, 34-24
May 14 Utah Warriors Startseite Won, 31-27
May 21 Old Glory DC Away Won, 59-42
May 27 Seattle Seawolves Away Lost, 36-43
June 3 Austin Gilgronis Startseite Lost, 14-29

Post season

See also: 2022 Major League Rugby playoffs
Round Date Opponent Home/Away Result
West Conference Finals June 18 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Lost, 27-46

2023 season

Regular season

Date Opponent Home/Away Result
February 19 Dallas Jackals Away Won, 33-12
February 25 NOLA Gold Startseite Won, 35-14
March 5 San Diego Legion Startseite Won, 31-26
March 11 Seattle Seawolves Away Lost, 12-24
March 25 Rugby ATL Startseite Won, 40-28
April 2 Chicago Hounds Away Won, 38-21
April 8 Utah Warriors Startseite Lost, 24-30
April 15 Dallas Jackals Startseite Won, 33-21
April 23 New York Ironworkers Away Won, 34-27
April 30 San Diego Legion Away Lost, 16-29
May 13 Seattle Seawolves Startseite Lost, 17-34
May 20 Utah Warriors Away Lost, 28-34
May 27 Chicago Hounds Startseite Won, 40-33
June 3 Toronto Arrows Away Won, 48-26
June 9 Old Glory DC Startseite Won, 31-7
June 18 New England Free Jacks Away Lost, 24-47

Post season

Round Date Opponent Home/Away Result
West Conference Eliminator Round June 24 Seattle Seawolves Away Lost, 26-37

Notes

References

  1. ^ "Major League Rugby – As It Stands". Americas Rugby News. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  2. ^ "SaberCats fall to Seawolves in first match played at AVEVA Stadium". Houston Chronicle. April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  3. ^ Schneider, Andrew (2018-02-07). "Houston City Council Approved $3.2 Million Deal To Build A New Rugby Stadium". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
  4. ^ "SaberCats, city to break ground on new AVEVA Stadium late July". KHOU. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  5. ^ Gorman, Jack (2018-03-05). "Houston SaberCats Announce New Temporary Home". Houston Press. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
  6. ^ Dart, Tom (2018-01-22). "Houston? No problem – SaberCats bullish about latest US rugby venture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  7. ^ "Houston SaberCats". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Houston? No problem – SaberCats bullish about latest US rugby venture". The Guardian. January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  9. ^ "Paul Emerick takes helm of SaberCats". Houston Chronicle. May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  10. ^ "New Coach Announced Ahead of 2020 Season". August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  11. ^ "Pote Human to join Heyneke Meyer at American Major League outfit". Sport24. September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "MLR 2022 - Houston SaberCats vs LA Giltinis - ARN Guide". Americas Rugby News. 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  13. ^ Anonymous, "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS," www.majorleague.rugby, March 12, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020
  14. ^ "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
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