Written by Michael Thervil
Move over NFL (and can we really even call that football) there’s a new sheriff in town and that’s rugby, the SaberCats rugby team located in Houston Texas. For those who don’t know, Major League Rugby (MLR) in America is a real thing and it is happening again for the 8th season. The Sabercats are just 1 of 12 American rugby teams in America that, based upon our perspective, play harder than players in the NFL (National Football League). We at VEDA Communications can say this because unlike the players of the NFL, rugby is played without the use of padding in just about all weather conditions.
Last year the Houston SaberCats played a spectacular season in which they won 14 out of 16 games which is impressive for a collusion-based sport such as Professional Rugby. While providing Press Coverage for the Houston SaberCats yesterday, we witnessed a team that was truly a team in the fact that not only were they highly supportive of each other, they almost seemed to act like brothers. Another thing that we liked about the Houston SaberCats was the huge amount of diversification amongst its players. Of course they have American players on their roster; but they also have players from England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Samoa.
It is because of this diverse mix of players is what makes not only the Houston SaberCats as successful as they are, but it is this diversification of players that makes rugby as a whole whether professional, semi-pro, or amateur such an amazing sport. Now for our readers that are not familiar with rugby, rugby consists of 15 playable positions, in which the players cannot throw the ball forward like American football. They can only pass the ball backwards or sideways. Players cannot block when the ball is being passed.
When it comes to tackling, only the person who has the ball can be tackled and when they are tackled, they must “fumble” the ball and drop it and players cannot pick the ball unless they are standing. A “try” is worth 5 points and if a team scores, the conversion kick (if successful) is worth 3 points. Depending on the severity of a “penalty” the non-offending team can kick the ball for 3 points. Players may grab and push each other for the ball (this is known as a “scrum”). Players can also kick the ball forward and the most interesting thing about rugby is that their plays continue even after a player is tackled – unlike the NFL.
The first official game of the regular season starts tomorrow Saturday, February 15th in which the Houston SaberCats face off against the Chicago Hounds. This is a match that many people are looking forward to watching. If you live in Houston or the surrounding cities, we urge you to come out and check out a professional rugby game played by the Houston SaberCats. Saturday's game against the Chicago Hounds will start at 7pm with tickets starting at $25 to $105 depending on where you choose to sit. Point of fact: the Houston SaberCatsis the only MLR team in America with its very own stadium and it is located at 2055 Mowery Rd, Houston, TX 77045. We are looking forward to seeing you there and as always - go SaberCats.
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