Battle of the Boot (MLR)
The Battle of the Boot is a local derby between the Houston SaberCats and the Dallas Jackals of Major League Rugby, recognizing the best team in the state for the season. The Houston SaberCats won the first three meetings against Austin Elite, but Austin won the following three through 2021. The Dallas Jackals joined the league in 2022 with Austin winning all six games against Houston and Dallas with Houston winning both of its games against Dallas. Following the 2022 season and Austin's disbandment from the league, the 2023 season started with Houston and Dallas.
| Location | Choctaw Stadium, Arlington SaberCats Stadium, Houston |
|---|---|
| Teams | Dallas Jackals 2022–Present Houston SaberCats 2018–Present Austin Gilgronis 2018–2022 |
| First meeting | 28 April 2018 Houston 50 def. Austin Elite 38 |
| Latest meeting | 19 February 2023 Houston 33 def. Dallas 12 |
| Next meeting | 15 April 2023 Dallas at Houston |
| Statistics | |
| Most wins | Houston[note 1] 6 wins |
| Largest victory | Houston[note 2] 25 points (9 April 2022) |
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the only match played between the teams involved was on 7 March 2020 with Austin defeating Houston, 24–20.[1] Shortly after the match, the league cancelled the remainder of the season.[2]
Tiebreakers
Only MLR regular season matches are used to determine the winner of The Boot, unless the season series is tied. If the series is tied, the tiebreakers will similarly follow the same as MLR and are as follows:
| 1 | most wins from all MLR regular season matches |
| 2 | highest aggregate points difference from all MLR regular season matches |
| 3 | most tries from all MLR regular season matches |
| 4 | highest aggregate difference of total tries for versus tries scored from all MLR regular season matches |
| 5 | holders retain The Boot |
Series results
Battle of the Boot winners
| Year | Winner | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Houston SaberCats | 1–0–0 |
| 2019 | Houston SaberCats | 2–0–0 |
| 2020 | Austin Gilgronis | 1–0–0[note 3] |
| 2021 | Austin Gilgronis | 2–0–0 |
| 2022 | Austin Gilgronis | 6–0–0[note 4] |
| 2023 | Houston SaberCats | 1-0-0 |
Regular season
- This table only shows competitive regular season matches, and not pre-season or exhibition matches.
| Date | Round | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 April 2018 | 2 | Houston SaberCats | 50 – 38 |
Austin Elite | Dyer Stadium |
| 26 January 2019 | 1 | Austin Elite | 20 – 21 |
Houston SaberCats | Dell Diamond |
| 25 May 2019 | 18 | Houston SaberCats | 36 – 15 |
Austin Elite | Aveva Stadium |
| 7 March 2020 | 5 | Houston SaberCats | 20 – 24 |
Austin Gilgronis | Aveva Stadium |
| 26 April 2020 | 12 | Austin Gilgronis | Houston SaberCats | Bold Stadium | |
| 3 April 2021 | 3 | Austin Gilgronis | 26 – 0 |
Houston SaberCats | Bold Stadium |
| 5 June 2021 | 12 | Houston SaberCats | 9 – 28 |
Austin Gilgronis | Aveva Stadium |
| 5 February 2022 | 1 | Austin Gilgronis | 43 – 7 |
Dallas Jackals | Bold Stadium |
| 19 February 2022 | 3 | Dallas Jackals | 33 – 38 |
Houston SaberCats | Choctaw Stadium |
| 3 April 2022 | 9 | Austin Gilgronis | 43 – 5 |
Houston SaberCats | Bold Stadium |
| 9 April 2022 | 10 | Houston SaberCats | 31 – 6 |
Dallas Jackals | Aveva Stadium |
| 16 April 2022 | 11 | Dallas Jackals | 3 – 57 |
Austin Gilgronis | Choctaw Stadium |
| 3 June 2022 | 18 | Houston SaberCats | 14 – 29 |
Austin Gilgronis | Aveva Stadium |
| 25 February 2023 | 1 | Dallas Jackals | 12 – 33 |
Houston SaberCats | Choctaw Stadium |
| 15 April 2023 | 9 | Houston SaberCats | Dallas Jackals | SaberCats Stadium | |
References
- "Match report Houston 20 - 24 Austin – 7 March 2020". all.rugby. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- "Major League Rugby Has Decided to Cancel the Remainder of the 2020 Season and Turn Attention to 2021". majorleague.rugby. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- Dallas holds the most wins with seven after disbanding following the 2022 Major League Rugby season.
- Dallas holds the largest victory with 54 points on 16 April 2022 after disbanding following the 2022 Major League Rugby season.
- The 2022 season was cancelled after one meeting between the clubs. There was one other meeting scheduled.
- Houston won both meetings against the Dallas Jackals.
- Major League Rugby cancelled league played after Round 5 in wake of the COVID-19 crisis.