Houston SaberCats
| File:Houston Sabercats Logo.png | ||
| Full name | Houston SaberCats | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | |
| Location | Houston, Texas | |
| Ground(s) | Aveva Stadium (Capacity: 4,000) | |
| President | Brian Colona | |
| Coach(es) | Justin Fitzpatrick | |
| League(s) | Major League Rugby | |
| 2018 | 7th placed (regular season) | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
The Houston SaberCats is 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 launched its first season in 2018.
Home field
As of the 2018 regular season, the SaberCats play their home matches at Dyer Stadium,[2] and train at Athlete Training and Health in Houston. The team previously played at Constellation Field, home of the Sugar Land Skeeters, for their exhibition matches in 2017 and 2018.[3]
The SaberCats have plans to build a stadium of their own in Houston.[4] In February 2018, the City of Houston agreed to fund $3.2 million of the $5.25 million needed to build a permanent rugby stadium for use by the Houston SaberCats at Houston Sports Park.[5] Aveva Stadium is expected to be completed in January 2019 and will seat 3,500 spectators.[6][7]
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.
| Stadium | Capacity | Location | Year(s) |
| Constellation Field | 7,500 | Sugar Land, Texas | 2018 |
| Dyer Stadium | 6,000 | Houston, Texas | 2018 |
| Aveva Stadium | 4,000 | Houston, Texas | from 2019 |
The team and the community
In November 2018, the team was featured in Houston PetTalk Magazine[8] to promote the adoption of animals with the Houston Humane Society.
Current squad
The following players have been confirmed for the SaberCats for the 2019 season:[9]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
|
|
- Internationally capped players in bold
- MLR teams are allowed to field up to five overseas players per match
Coaching staff
- Justin Fitzpatrick (Head Coach)
- Sam Windsor (Assistant Coach)
- Matt Trouville (Academy Director)
- Paul Emerick (Skills Coach)
2018 season
Exhibition schedule
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/18/17 | Dallas Reds | Away | W | 31-24 | |
| 12/2/17 | Dallas Harlequins | Away | W | 125-0 | |
| 12/9/17 | Austin Blacks | Away | W | 46-31 | |
| 12/9/17 | Austin Blacks | Away | W | 55-14 | |
| 12/16/17 | Dallas Reds | Home | W | 21-5 | |
| 1/6/18 | Seattle Saracens | Away | W | 50-7 | |
| 1/13/18 | Vancouver Ravens | Away | L | 23-26 | |
| 1/20/18 | Uruguay National Team | Home | L | 24-32 | |
| 1/27/18 | James Bay Athletic Club | Home | W | 42-13 | |
| 2/3/18 | Capital Selects | Home | W | 49-3 | |
| 2/10/18 | Chicago Lions | Home | W | 60-10 | |
| 2/17/18 | New York Athletic Club | Away | W | 39-38 | |
| 2/24/18 | NOLA Gold | Home | W | 30-12 | |
| 3/3/18 | Ontario Arrows | Home | D | 28-28 | |
| 3/24/18 | NOLA Gold | Away | D | 32-32 | |
| 4/7/18 | San Diego Legion | Away | W | 17-33 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4/21 | NOLA Gold | Home | L | 26-35 | |
| 4/28 | Austin Elite | Home | W | 50-38 | |
| 5/4 | San Diego Legion | Away | L | 35-32 | |
| 5/19 | NOLA Gold | Away | L | 26-35 | |
| 5/26 | Utah Warriors | Home | L | 36-30 | |
| 6/2 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | L | 7-20 | |
| 6/9 | Glendale Raptors | Away | L | 37-24 | |
| 6/23 | Utah Warriors | Away | L | 27-31 |
2019 season
Pre-Season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/12 | Austin Elite | Home | |||
| 1/19 | Glendale Raptors | Home |
Regular Season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/26 | Austin Elite | Away | |||
| 2/9 | San Diego Legion | Away | |||
| 2/22 | Toronto Arrows | Home | |||
| 3/2 | Rugby United New York | Home | |||
| 3/10 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | |||
| 3/16 | New Orleans Gold | Home | |||
| 3/23 | Utah Warriors | Home | |||
| 4/6 | Glendale Raptors | Away | |||
| 4/12 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | |||
| 4/21 | Toronto Arrows | Away | |||
| 4/27 | San Diego Legion | Home | |||
| 5/5 | Rugby United New York | Away | |||
| 5/11 | Glendale Raptors | Home | |||
| 5/18 | New Orleans Gold | Away | |||
| 5/25 | Austin Elite | Home | |||
| 6/1 | Utah Warriors | Away |
Records
Season standings
Major League Rugby
Year Pos Pld W D L F A +/− BP Pts Play-offsFile:Houston SaberCats logo.png 2018 7th 8 1 0 7 216 256 –40 7 11 Did not compete
Head coaches
- 2018: Justin Fitzpatrick [3]
Captains
- 2018: Kyle Sumsion
References
- ^ "Major League Rugby – As It Stands". Americas Rugby News. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
- ^ Gorman, Jack (2018-03-05). "Houston SaberCats Announce New Temporary Home". Houston Press. Retrieved 2018-03-05.
- ^ a b 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.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Hlavaty, Craig (2017-03-22). "Houston group bringing a rugby franchise, stadium to the city". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Morris, Mike (2018-02-05). "Houston City Council to consider $3.2M stadium deal with SaberCats rugby team". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
- ^ "City of Houston sign off on a New Rugby Stadium in deal with Major League Rugby Team Houston SaberCats" (Press release). Houston SaberCats. February 8, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ Houston PetTalk Magazine: "Houston SaberCats promote adoption with Houston Humane Society." November 2018 (pp.26-33). [1] Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- ^ https://houstonsabercats.com/team/
