RFCLA Claim Fourth Straight Win in Houston

“Houston is never an easy place to win,” said RFCLA Head Coach Steve Hoiles.

“I thought we handled ourselves well in a number of areas, with a close call at the end which could have drawn the game. Thankfully it didn’t.I felt we deserved the win and were the better team on the night.”

Both sides were slow to fire early, with the opening points coming at the 16th minute when RFCLA’s in-form scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou dotted down for yet another try this season.

Houston answered soon after Bertranou’s opener, but it was a forgettable night from the kicking tee for both sides, with neither team landing a conversion in the first half.

Veteran center Billy Meakes provided the spark for RFCLA’s next scoring play, setting up Rory Van Vugt for a try, before the SaberCats struck back just before halftime to keep the contest tight.

RFCLA’s second-half performance proved the difference, with Hoiles highlighting a key defensive improvement from his squad.

“A big improvement for us was how we were able to repel the opposition a number of times on our goal line,” Hoiles said. “Consistently this year we’ve had teams score points on us in those moments, so to hold them out was really pleasing.”

LA crossed the line three times in the second half, with two tries standing, and Reece McDonald adding two crucial conversions to open up a vital lead.

“We scored some really good tries again and showed how we want to play the game in attack,” Hoiles added. “Defensively, we improved on how we tackled against Houston. A lot of the things we said as a team during the week came to fruition, which is important and very pleasing.”

Houston threatened late, scoring a try in the 80th minute to bring the game within two points — but their final conversion attempt missed, sealing a hard-fought win for RFCLA on the road.

Both teams earned a bonus point on the night, for scoring four tries in what continues to be a tightly contested Western Conference.

“There were some great performances tonight,” Hoiles said. “Andrew Coe played his 50th match and played really well. Dec Leaney had a really good performance in his first start this year, playing just under 70 minutes. Sean Nolan showed maturity stepping up for his first start replacing Christian Leali’ifano, and Will Leonard had a really good first start too after a frustrating year with injuries. Overall, a lot of good things came out of the game and I am very pleased.”

“Big game, big result, it’s tough competition in MLR and the West Coast is really heating up,” Hoiles said. “We get to do it all again next week at home against Utah.”

RFCLA returns home to Wallis Annenberg Stadium next weekend, looking to continue their winning momentum against Utah Warriors and solidify their move up the ranks, as they continue their charge toward the postseason.

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