Houston SaberCats claim 7th straight victory

The Houston SaberCats debuted light blue uniforms with H-Town on the chest Saturday at SaberCats Stadium. Their performance was familiar.

Houston recorded a second-half shutout for the second straight week in a 29-12 win over RFC Los Angeles. The SaberCats improved to 12-1 with their seventh straight victory, maintaining the best record in Major League Rugby.

The SaberCats scored twice in less than two minutes to regain momentum and take a 19-7 lead.

Houston got a penalty try in the 18th minute to quickly regain the lead, 12-7. The SaberCats took advantage of one of several first-half turnovers by RFC Los Angeles (4-8-1) moments later.

Davy Coetzer caught a loose ball on a rebound near midfield and sprinted to the end almost untouched in the 19th minute. Coetzer added the centering conversion attempt for a 12-point lead.

The SaberCats took the early lead, with throws from Seimou Smith and Drew Wild allowing Andre Warner to score the try and take a 5-0 advantage in the sixth minute.

RFC Los Angeles responded in the 14th minute, starting the game quickly and passing the ball to Ben Strang in the corner. Jason Emery’s conversion made it 7-5.

RFC Los Angeles took advantage of a Houston turnover and a precise kick to set up a lineout near the try line. Jason Damm cut the lead to 19-12 in the 34th minute, heading into halftime.

The SaberCats had the advantage of possession in the second half, with both teams suffering from leg cramps.

Coetzer extended the lead to 22-12 in the 49th minute on a penalty, shortly after a red card on RFC Los Angeles.

Houston sealed the match with another penalty try in the 74th minute, earning a bonus point in the standings with their fourth try of the match. The SaberCats have 57 points, 12 ahead of Seattle in the Western Conference heading into the Seawolves’ game Sunday against Utah.

Both teams return home next week. RFC Los Angeles hosts NOLA Gold in an interconference match on June 16.

Houston hosts Seattle next Saturday, a key game to help determine the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.