Anthem denied again as Coetzer kick saves SaberCats

For a third time in succession Anthem have been denied a first franchise victory by the narrowest of margins. On Saturday night it was Houston who played spoilers in Charlotte. Davy Coetzer’s last-gasp penalty goal secured a 46-45 result, just moments after a late try had put Anthem ahead.

Defense was at a premium from the start as the tries came thick and fast. Just four minutes in AJ Alatimu stabbed a grubber through the line and when two Anthem defenders collided going for the ball, it bounced perfectly for Ronan Murphy to score. Alatimu pulled the conversion attempt to the left, and Anthem soon took the two-point lead. Makeen Alikhan twisted and turned to ground the ball on the edge of a ruck, and Mitch Wilson successfully added the extras.

Houston jumped back ahead after Anthem prop Joe Apikotoa was binned for a no-arms tackle. Jeremy Misailegalu was open out wide but dropped a cross-kick from Alatimu. The SaberCats were on advantage, and this time Misailegalu would get the finish on the end of a wide pass from Max Schumacher. Soon after an angled run put Louritz van der Schyff through a half-gap, and Seimou Smith finished off the score on the short side of a ruck.

Both teams were reduced to 14 men at the half-hour mark. Junior Gafa saw yellow for a tip-tackle, and then a croc roll at a ruck earned Justin Basson the same sanction. Anthem pushed back and Sam Golla drove in from close range to close the gap. Seth Smith put Houston 10 points up just before halftime after breaking from a maul, but a mistake from the SaberCats gave one more chance to Anthem.

With the clock in the red, Houston took the ball into contact instead of kicking the ball into touch at the restart. Apikotoa, making up for his earlier indiscretion, got to the tackle first and won a turnover. Anthem kicked to the corner and it was the Tongan prop himself who went low under the defense to ground the ball and leave it 24-19 to the visitors at the break.

The early minutes of the second half belonged to the home side. Cliven Loubser regathered his own chip and chase and freed Jason Tidwell on his outside for a 25-meter run-in to the corner. Wilson nailed the sideline conversion, and added another two points after Gafa barreled his way over on the outside of the upright. Suddenly Anthem were nine points in the good.

Reinforcements were summoned from Houston’s bench and they made an immediate impact. Juan-Dee Oliver broke from a scrum won against the head and connected with Davy Coetzer on his outside for a first try. Another dominant scrum, this time on their own-put in, earned territory and soon after Johan Momsen crashed over to put the SaberCats ahead.

The team teams next exchanged tries. Mateo Gadsden and Ethan Howard sparked a line break with Gadsden doing the finishing for Anthem. At the other end sustained pressure created an overlap and Oliver, now playing on the right wing, touched down in the corner for Houston.

With three minutes to play the visitors earned an attacking penalty on the five-meter line. They opted to tap-and-go, and when Jake Turnbull spun through a tackle some help from his teammates got him over the line. Wilson snuck over the kick for what looked like an historic conversion, but heads dropped as a penalty conceded on the restart allowed Coetzer to break Charlotte hearts once again.

The SaberCats head home to prepare for their match against the San Diego Legion in Houston on Saturday. Anthem meanwhile make the long trip to the Pacific Northwest where the Seattle Seawolves are waiting at Starfire Stadium.

 

SCORING

CAROLINA 45
Tries (7) – M. Alikhan (9′), S. Golla (31′), J. Apikotoa (40’+2′), J. Tidwell (42′), J. Gafa (47′), M. Gadsden (63′), J. Turnbull (77′)
Cons (5) – M. Wilson 5/7 (10′, 32′, 43′, 48′, 78′)
YC (2) – J. Apikotoa (13′), J. Gafa (29′)

HOUSTON 46
Tries (7) – R. Murphy (4′), J. Misailegalu (18′), Si. Smith (21′) St. Smith (39′), D. Coetzer (53′), J. Momsen (57′), J. Oliver (68′)
Cons (4) – A. Alatimu 2/4 (19′, 22′), D. Coetzer 2/3 (54′, 69′)
Pens (1) – D. Coetzer 1/1 (80′)
YC (1) – J. Basson (30′)

LINEUPS

ANTHEM CAROLINA
1 Dan Hanson (17 Jake Turnbull 51′), 2 Alex Maughan (16 Ethan Howard 47′), 3 Joe Apikotoa (18 Stephan Bernal-Wendt 60′), 4 Puna Vuli, 5 Sam Golla (capt.), 6 Alby O’Shannessey (18 Stephan Bernal-Wendt 15′-23′) (19 Alejandro Martinez Tapia 69′), 7 Makeen Alikhan, 8 Dylan Fortune (20 Colin Turner 52′), 9 Karl Keane (21 Ishy Safodien 69′), 10 Cliven Loubser, 11 Jason Tidwell (22 Mateo Gadsden 51′), 12 Junior Gafa, 13 Erich Storti, 14 EJ Freeman, 15 Mitch Wilson

Not used: 23 Line Latu

HOUSTON SABERCATS
1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth (17 LaRome White 64′), 2 Seth Smith (16 Pita Anae-Ah Sue 49′), 3 Pono Davis (18 Michael Scott 60′), 4 Javon Camp (19 Johan Momsen 49′), 5 Justin Basson, 6 Emmanuel Albert, 7 Keni Nasoqeqe (20 Tinashe Muchena 64′), 8 Ronan Murphy (21 Marno Redelinghuys 49′), 9 Juan-Dee Oliver, 10 AJ Alatimu (23 Davy Coetzer 49′), 11 Seimou Smith, 12 Sam Hill, 13 Louritz van der Schyff, 14 Jeremy Misailegalu (22 Jay Renton 64′), 15 Max Schumacher

MATCH INFO

Date: Saturday, March 22
Venue: American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte
Kickoff: 19:00 local
Weather: sunny, 72°F (22°C), wind NW 12-18mph (19-29km/h)

OFFICIALS

Referee: Kahlil Harrison (USA)
Assistants: Lex Weiner (USA) & Ian Seaton (USA)
TMO: Cam Russell (Canada)

HIGHLIGHTS