Rally falls short in first loss
The last undefeated team in Major League Rugby took its first loss Saturday. Appropriately, it came at the hands of the defending champions.
New England quickly answered early tries by the Houston SaberCats and added to its lead during a key second half stretch for a 47-35 victory at SaberCats Stadium.
The Free Jacks improved to 5-1, leaving the SaberCats with the same record despite an inspired rally. Houston trailed 4018 but scored 17 consecutive points to cut the deficit.
“I’m proud of the boys for sure to put in the effort at least to try to bring it down,” SaberCats lock/ back row Johan Momsen said. “I think it was 25 points at some point and we brought back down to five, slipped up at the end. I’m proud of the effort but a lot of mistakes on defense, a lot to fix. I think we put on an attack. But 47 points against us, you cannot win a game if you concede that much.”
New England led 28-18 after an action-packed first half, starting with Christian Dyer receiving a pitch from AJ Alatiumu on an open sideline for a 5-0 Houston lead.
The Free Jacks erased the advantage quickly, with Malakai Hala-Ngatai scoring in the sixth minute and Wian Conradie adding another in the 12th. Jayson Potroz converted both kicks for a 14-5 advantage.
Potroz answered a penalty kick by Davy Coetzer for a 21-8 lead, chasing down his own chip for the Free Jacks’ third try.
Tries by Jeremy Misailegalu and Coetzer rallied the SaberCats, who struggled kicking into the wind on conversions. Wayne Van Der Bank scored just before halftime to boost New England.
The Free Jacks took control out of halftime, with Reece MacDonald sprinting after a pass on the sideline for a 33-18 lead.
New England defended its territory, then covered most of the field on one run to set up Van Der Bank’s second try. The Free Jacks were able to find open space during the night and create oneon-one opportunities.
“They relied on quick ball, unfortunately,” Momsen said. “It doesn’t allow us to set and bring our line speed, which we pride ourselves on. They did a good job. We have to give them some credit, but just not a good enough performance for us on defense.”
Houston displayed its own attack, earning a season-best five tries including Coetzer’s second of the night to start the rally.
“Honestly we haven’t even showed our potential, so it was really nice that we got the ball out wide,” Misailegalu said. “We’re still clicking and we’re still trying to find our groove.”
Line Latu finished a long run in the 67th minute to bring the SaberCats within 12 points. Houston muscled in another, with Tiaan Erasmus on the try, in the 73rd minute. Alatimu made the SaberCats’ first conversion of the night, cutting the lead to 40-35. New England answered two minutes later, all but sealing the result.
“I feel like that’s a testament to how we play,” Misailegalu said. “Great teams don’t give up and we showed a lot of heart towards the end, so I’m proud of the boys.”
Houston is still off to the best start in franchise history and has a chance to rebound on the road against another challenging opponent. Old Glory D.C. was 2-2-2 entering the night but handed New England its only loss.
“Coming in with a lot of momentum into the bye week, we might have had some rust on us,” Momsen said. “But we’ll shake it off, go to work this week, go out to D.C. and regroup. There’s a lot of games ahead of us and we’ll show what we’re made of.”