Defense main focus in season-opening win
The SaberCats were excited to begin a new campaign and even more thrilled by the outcome, a wire-to-wire 21-12 win over the Colorado Raptors on a breezy Saturday afternoon at Aveva Stadium.
“It’s crucial for our season,” said outside-half Sam Windsor, who scored Houston’s first eight points off a penalty kick and a try. “We’ve been building (for the opener) since before November.”
One of the biggest plays of the game came right before halftime when Adriaan Booysen scored a 40-minute try that was set up by two straight penalties.
The score also extended the SaberCats’ lead to eight heading into the break.
“The momentum and the morale just boosted straight out of this stadium,” said scrum-half Dewet Roos on the last-minute try. “We said we wanted to finish off the last 10 minutes of the half really well, and we backed ourselves (up).”
The SaberCats held the Raptors to only 12 points, and defense was a focal point for the team heading into the day.
“Defense with an attitude,” Roos said. “We set our objective for defense before the game. We worked really hard this week, and I think it showed today.”
Despite starting the season with a strong win, however, not everything was perfect for the SaberCats, specifically Windsor, who missed multiple conversion kicks in the game.
The 6-foot-1-inch native of Australia is not concerned with the misfires, though, and believes it will get cleaned up as the season gets into full swing.
“Just time on the field, mate,” Windsor said. “This is a beautiful stadium, beautiful field, the wind blows north, south, east and west every day, so I’m going to get out most days and try to harness the wind and try to control it and get used to it. … I trust my process.”