Houston SaberCats
Professional rugby union team from Houston, Texas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Houston SaberCats are an American professional rugby union team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team was founded in 2017.[1] 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.
| ||
| Full name | Houston SaberCats | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 | |
| Location | Houston, Texas | |
| Ground(s) | SaberCats Stadium (Capacity: 4,000) | |
| President | Mike Sheehan | |
| Coach(es) | Pote Human | |
| Captain(s) | Johan Momsen | |
| Most caps | Zach Pangelinan (56) | |
| Top scorer | Sam Windsor (432) | |
| Most tries | Christian Dyer (19) | |
| League(s) | Major League Rugby | |
| 2024 | Elimination round 1st (Western Conference) | |
| ||
| Official website | ||
| www | ||
Home field
Summarize
Perspective
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 | Location | 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
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
Summarize
Perspective
Current squad
The Houston SaberCats squad for the 2025 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.
- 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)
- Vic Meyer (Assistant Coach - Attack)
- Ryan Nell (Assistant Coach – backs)
- Mike Brown (Assistant Coach)
- Jon Hood (Strength & Conditioning Coach)
Head coaches
Justin Fitzpatrick (2017–2019)[8]
Paul Emerick (2019)[9]
Paul Healy (2020–2021)[10]
Pote Human (2022–Present)[11]
Former assistant coaches
Neil Kelly (Defense – 2019)
Darren Morris (Forwards – 2019)
Captains
- Kyle Sumsion (2018)
- Matt Trouville (2019)
- De Wet Roos (2020)
- Luke Beauchamp (2021) (co-captain)
- De Wet Roos (2021) (co-captain)
- Dean Muir (2022–)[12]
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 | |
| 2024 | Western | 1st | 16 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 478 | 347 | +131 | 11 | 67 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 34 | -12 | Lost West Conference Eliminator Game (Dallas Jackals) 22-34 | |
| Totals | 93 | 43 | 0 | 50 | 2,304 | 2,571 | -267 | 56 | 228 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 117 | -42 | 3 postseason appearances | |||
Notes
- 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 | 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 |
2021 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 30–24 |
| March 27 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Lost, 0–32 |
| April 3 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 0–26 |
| April 10 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 34–32 |
| April 17 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 48–33 |
| April 24 | Utah Warriors | Away | Lost, 50–43 |
| May 8 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Lost, 26–28 |
| May 15 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Lost, 10–19 |
| May 22 | Old Glory DC | Home | Lost, 13–21 |
| May 29 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 11–39 |
| June 5 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 9–28 |
| June 13 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 5–52 |
| June 19 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 15–33 |
| June 26 | Utah Warriors | Home | 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 | Home | Won, 21–11 |
| February 12 | Rugby New York | Home | Lost, 7-10 |
| February 19 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 38–33 |
| February 26 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 20-31 |
| March 5 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 22-29 |
| March 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won 21-19 |
| March 26 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 28-12 |
| April 3 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 5-45 |
| April 9 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 31-6 |
| April 16 | LA Giltinis | Away | Lost, 12-17 |
| April 23 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Won, 29-17 |
| May 8 | San Diego Legion | Away | Won, 34-24 |
| May 14 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 31-27 |
| May 21 | Old Glory DC | Away | Won, 59-42 |
| May 27 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 36-43 |
| June 3 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 14-29 |
Post season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Conference Finals | June 18 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Lost, 27-46 |
2023 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 33-12 |
| February 25 | NOLA Gold | Home | Won, 35-14 |
| March 5 | San Diego Legion | Home | Won, 31-26 |
| March 11 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 12-24 |
| March 25 | Rugby ATL | Home | Won, 40-28 |
| April 2 | Chicago Hounds | Away | Won, 38-21 |
| April 8 | Utah Warriors | Home | Lost, 24-30 |
| April 15 | Dallas Jackals | Home | 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 | Home | Lost, 17-34 |
| May 20 | Utah Warriors | Away | Lost, 28-34 |
| May 27 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Won, 40-33 |
| June 3 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Won, 48-26 |
| June 9 | Old Glory DC | Home | 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 |
2024 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | Utah Warriors | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 22-15 |
| March 10 | Rugby Football Club Los Angeles | Away | Dignity Health Sports Park | Won, 27-12 |
| March 16 | Miami Sharks | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 30-19 |
| March 22 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports Complex | Won, 42-40 |
| March 29 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 30-27 |
| April 13 | New England Free Jacks | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Lost, 47-35 |
| April 20 | Old Glory DC | Away | Maryland SoccerPlex | Won, 38-17 |
| April 27 | San Diego Legion | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 33-0 |
| May 4 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Won, 29-24 |
| May 10 | Anthem RC | Away | American Legion Memorial Stadium | Won, 38-15 |
| May 18 | Chicago Hounds | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 23-22 |
| June 1 | NOLA Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | Won, 21-7 |
| June 8 | Rugby Football Club Los Angeles | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 29-12 |
| June 15 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 28-25 |
| June 23 | San Diego Legion | Away | Snapdragon Stadium | Lost, 37-24 |
| June 29 | Dallas Jackals | Away | SaberCats Stadium | Won, 29-28 |
Post season
| Round | Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Conference Semi-Final | July 20 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Lost, 34-22 |
Notes
References
External links
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