Houston SaberCats
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 competition in the United States 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 of in MLR membership to build a rugby-specific stadium intended for MLR competition.
Full name | Houston SaberCats | |
---|---|---|
Founded | 2017 | |
Location | Houston, Texas | |
Ground(s) | Aveva Stadium (Capacity: 4,000) | |
President | J.T. Onyett | |
Coach(es) | Paul Healy (Head) Paul Emerick (Skills) Darren Morris (forwards) Sam Windsor (backs) Neil Kelly (defence) | |
Captain(s) | De Wet Roos | |
Top scorer | Sam Windsor (263) | |
Most tries | Sam Windsor (10) | |
League(s) | Major League Rugby | |
2019 | 7th placed (regular season) | |
| ||
Official website | ||
www |
Home field
Houston plays their games in Aveva 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 naming rights were awarded to British multinational software and technology company Aveva.[4]
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 Aveva Stadium healed, the team returned to Dyer Stadium to play one match against San Diego before returning to Aveva Stadium.
Stadium | Capacity | Location | Year(s) |
---|---|---|---|
Dyer Stadium | 6,000 | Houston, Texas | 2018 |
Constellation Field | 7,500 | Sugar Land, Texas | 2018–2019 |
Aveva Stadium | 4,000 | Houston, Texas | 2019–present |
Sponsorship
Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|
2018-2019 | XBlades | Aveva |
2020–present | Paladin Sports | Aveva |
Players and personnel
Current squad
The following players have been reported for Houston for the 2020 season:[7][8][9]
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
- Senior 15's and senior 7's internationally capped players in bold
- MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten (10) overseas players per match who are not qualified to play for the USA or Canadian national teams.
Coaching staff
- Paul Healy (Head Coach)
- Paul Emerick (Assistant Coach - skills)
- Neil Kelly (Assistant Coach - defence)
Head coaches
- Justin Fitzpatrick (2017–2019)[10]
- Paul Emerick (2019)[11]
- Paul Healy (2019–present)[12]
Captains
- Kyle Sumsion (2018)
- Matt Trouville (2019)
- De Wet Roos (2020)
Records
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 | Home | 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 | Home | Lost, 24–32 |
January 27, 2018 | James Bay Athletic Club | Home | Won, 42–13 |
February 3, 2018 | Capital Selects | Home | Won, 49–3 |
February 10, 2018 | Chicago Lions | Home | Won, 60–10 |
February 17, 2018 | New York Athletic Club | Away | Won, 39–38 |
February 24, 2018 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 30–12 |
March 3, 2018 | Ontario Arrows | Home | 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 | Home | Lost, 26–35 |
April 28 | Austin Elite | Home | 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 | Home | Lost, 30–36 |
June 2 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | 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 | Home | Lost, 10–14 |
January 19, 2019 | Glendale Raptors | Home | 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 | Home | Constellation Field | Lost, 27–44 |
March 2 | Rugby United New York | Home | Constellation Field | Lost, 8–35 |
March 10 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports | Lost, 14–27 |
March 16 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Constellation Field | Lost, 11–49 |
March 23 | Utah Warriors | Home | Constellation Field | Won, 29–27 |
April 6 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Infinity Park | Lost, 44–52 |
April 13 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Aveva Stadium | Lost, 12–52 |
April 21 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Stadium | Lost, 21–35 |
April 27 | San Diego Legion | Home | 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 | Home | Aveva Stadium | Won, 36–15 |
May 29 | Glendale Raptors | Home | 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 | Location | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 8 | Colorado Raptors | Home | Aveva Stadium | Won, 21-12 |
February 16 | Toronto Arrows | Neutral | Las Vegas Ballpark | Lost, 22-27 |
February 22 | Old Glory DC | Home | Aveva Stadium | Lost, 13-22 |
March 1 | Rugby United New York | Home | Aveva Stadium | Lost, 23-31 |
March 7 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | 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 | Home | 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 | Home | Aveva Stadium | Cancelled |
May 9 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Gold Mine | Cancelled |
May 16 | San Diego Legion | Home | Aveva Stadium | Cancelled |
May 23 | Rugby ATL | Home | Aveva Stadium | Cancelled |
May 30 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Cancelled |
References
- "Major League Rugby – As It Stands". Americas Rugby News. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
- "SaberCats fall to Seawolves in first match played at AVEVA Stadium". Houston Chronicle. April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- 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.
- "SaberCats, city to break ground on new AVEVA Stadium late July". KHOU. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- Gorman, Jack (2018-03-05). "Houston SaberCats Announce New Temporary Home". Houston Press. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
- 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.
- https://houstonsabercats.com/team/
- "2018 Major League Rugby – Houston SaberCats". Americas Rugby News. 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- "MLR Off-Season Update - December 13, 2018". Americas Rugby News. 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
- "Houston? No problem – SaberCats bullish about latest US rugby venture". The Guardian. January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- "Paul Emerick takes helm of SaberCats". Houston Chronicle. May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- "New Coach Announced Ahead of 2020 Season". August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
- Anonymous, "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS," www.majorleague.rugby, March 12, 2020 Retrieved March 14, 2020
- "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.