Monday, April 23, 2018

HOUSTON SABERCATS RUGBY HAS ARRIVED

On Saturday, we attended out first ever rugby game. Well, I guess our first ever professional rugby game. 2nd Man's nephew played rugby in high school and we saw a few of his games.  But this is professional MLR (Major League Rugby).

Houston Sabercats image courtesy of @Hou_Sabercats
Houston now has its very own professional rugby team.  They are called the SABERCATS

They join the Astros, Texans, Rockets and Dynamo as hometown teams to cheer on. They are currently building a stadium that will be completed next year and so for now they are playing on a grass field at Dyer Stadium.

2nd Man and I braved the weather to go (it only sprinkled while we there) and I took a lot of pictures. Here are a few (click to enlarge):

Sabercats rugby
We are new to understanding all the rules of the game but wow is it ever fun.  We are learning, slowly but surely.

Houston Sabercats
Lots of action from beginning to end. More intense than American football for sure. 

Houston Sabercats vs NOLA Gold
The guys are definitely tough...


And talented...

Sabercats scrum
This is a scrum, the players get into formation and try to get the ball back to their side. 


They made a late game score that gave us hope...


...but alas, in the end, we lost 26 to 32.  

Still, it was an exciting game and when it was over we got to shake hands with all the players, including the opposing team.  They really are all about the fans, as sports should be.  

It was a great day and there will be more because we became season ticket holders!  Anyone out there interested in tickets, season or otherwise, you can click here for the link.



18 comments:

  1. Now that looks like it would be really fun to watch. Too bad the home team lost.

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    1. It was SO much fun. Yeah, bummer about losing our first game but we'll be back strong next time!!

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  2. Very well muscled - I guess because it is such a rough game. I rather like the look of the soccer players better. Who could run like that and not have a chiseled physique?

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    1. LOL, yes, lots of muscles. And most are tall. And just imposing when you meet them. But ironically SO very nice and fan friendly.

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  3. I have watched a few games on TV and have no idea what the rules of the game are, but it is an action packed physical game. Nice that you bought season tickets. Maybe you can explain the game to those of us who are clueless.

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    1. The rules are tricky and different for American sports but we're learning. Lots of youtube videos on the rules have helped, ha.

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  4. I like the fact they don't wear any crybaby protective equipment!
    The NFL ought to take a hint and drop their gear, maybe their rating would go up.

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    1. You know, I was saying the same thing. It's a true sport of athletic strength and prowess. No helmets, pads, etc. Makes for an exciting game that's for sure.

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  5. Oh I forgot, 'nice photography' you must have hands steady as a rock to get image that clean.

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    1. Aw, thanks for that. Well, steady hand not so much as the camera has a built in stabilization thing, ha. But I do enjoy taking pics and I'm actually quite proud how these came out. One of my coworker's said she thought these pics were from the newspaper website or something. I'll take that compliment too. Thank you much for the kind words .

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  6. That was different from the farm pictures I expected. This sounds like a great new pursuit for the two of you. Why don't they wear helmets. Oh yeah, they probably wear cups to protect the things they value!

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    1. Ha, I figured. I figured it would be a fun thing to share, something different and plus I can let anyone know who might be looking for rugby in Houston info they might stumble across the blog. It feels like we're getting in on the ground floor and so that will be fun as the team grows and becomes, hopefully, more popular.

      They do not wear much but I would assume they wear cups to protect that most valuable of things, ha. But yep, no helmets no pads etc.

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  7. I told my husband "you have to see these pictures of this game". He asked if you were on the sidelines? Nicely done! My cousin plays rugby, I need to check it out. I'm a sports girl. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Not on the sidelines, but we did have great seats. And my camera has a good lens. Tell him thank you for the compliment. 2nd Man's nephew played rugby and it was fun to watch as well. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I was looking for info in the Sabercats and found your site. I like it and as others have said, you have an eye for photography. I hope you'll post more as you go to future games. Thanks for the link I will check it out. Steve

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    1. Well hello! Thanks for stopping by and I'm glad you found the info. Click on the links and you'll get to the team website, tickets and even MLR main website. FYI, we don't get anything for the clicks, just fans spreading the love! Thanks again and come back for the other stuff too!!

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