If you guys have never seen a Rugby game, it's tons of fun. The games are fast as here are two halves 40-minute with NO timeouts other than for injury or a foul. The ball has to stay in play so if a player is down they have to put the ball out. Sabercats games are played at the Sugarland Skeeters stadium, Constellation Field, which is very nice and has areas for kids to play in. I'm going to go to the first game. It's going to be fun as hell- Rugby fans/players are the craziest fans ever and should be a show by itself. Houston Sabercats link, first game 1/6/18 Major League Rugby (MLR) Link Short video about Rugby for beginners: MLR to be on CBS Major League Rugby (MLR) and CBS Sports Network today announced an exclusive, multi-year television partnership. CBS Sports Network will televise the inaugural season of the new start-up league beginning in April, 2018, marking the first national television partnership in the history of American professional rugby. CBS Sports Network will televise a 13-game package with 10 weeks of regular season coverage – highlighted by a Major League Rugby Game of the Week – and two weeks of postseason coverage in 2018, including the semifinals and the first MLR Championship Game. “We look forward to being the television home of Major League Rugby,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President of Programming, CBS Sports. “MLR will showcase the speed, power and agility of this exciting sport and we are excited for the launch in April.” “Partnering with CBS Sports Network is a great step for Major League Rugby and for the sport of rugby in America,” said Major League Rugby Commissioner, Dean Howes. “There is no question that rugby is growing fast in the U.S. market. A successful professional league is a critical component of that growth. Television partnerships are incredibly important to any professional league, and we are excited to chart a path to success together with CBS Sports Network.” Major League Rugby will launch with seven teams in Austin, Houston, Glendale (Colorado), New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle and Salt Lake City (Utah). Each is a key rugby market with a long history of support for the game. The members have strong, local and civic-minded ownership groups with deep ties to their communities and have established grass roots programs, venues in place or in development, and a player pool featuring the best players in North America, reinforced by up to five international signings in the 15-player, Rugby Union format. CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is widely available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with select providers. For more information, including a full programming schedule, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.
Interesting... never watched a rugby match but it’s cool that Houston is one of the original cities. Anybody know the quality of players that will be expected?
To start I doubt we will see top players. But if this league does well, it's entirely possible to see top-tier players. Rugby doesn't have Euro Leagues to compete with for players like Soccer does.
I live right by the rugby team in Glendale. Never been to a game, but they seem to draw a decent crowd and have a fun atmosphere.
I'll be going to this! **** it, something new and rugby always has interested me. Where do you recommend sitting? Picnic area or Grassland? I'm looking at the Tickets / View. Can't tell what would be better for a rugby style field.
Should be decent players They have the Olympic team captain of Fiji playing for Houston. Fiji won the gold medal in Rio. Bunch of players from Ireland, UK, South Africa, Australia. Some have played for Team USA. MLR is brining a lot of international athletes from abroad and it looks like they want do make this league as successful as they can. Let's see how it goes!
I went, super fun! So couple things of note, until they build the Rugby stadium (land is south of NRG near where Dynamo train) the team has no home. The ballpark in Sugar Land is home for the 9 match preseason schedule and they need a place when the MLR season begins. Parking is 10 dollars, tailgating starts at 3 so a very good value. Matches are quick if your not familiar with Rugby it's 2 40 minute half's and clock does not stop. You could easily get away with buying the 15 dollar grass tickets, walking around and saving a few dollars off a reserved seat. I did have a friend who sat in the Insperity Club for 60 dollars it included a buffet and basically no lines for the cash bar and climate control. I think this will be a winner it's very entertaining, I did like the setup out there and thought it was a perfect venue so we will see where they end up
I wasn't able to make it last night, but I heard it was good match, especially when the final score was 50-7 lol. The attendance was around 5,300, which is huge for rugby in the US. I'm looking forward to when the Sabercats play the Uruguay National team in 2 weeks.
Good news. https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Houston-signs-off-on-3-2M-stadium-deal-with-12558481.php
Finally, after a 3 1/2 month long preseason, the Sabercats will play their 1st reagular season game today. Plus all games including Houston Sabercats will be stream live on the Major League Rugby facebook page.
New rugby specific stadium is being built for the Houston Sabercats. It'll be on 288 and Airport right next to the Houston Dynamo training facility. Should be ready for the 2019 MLR season starting in January! https://www.bizjournals.com/houston...ton-sabercats-professional-rugby-stadium.html
