Rugby HTX

The Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby are excited to announce the creation of a new high-performance developmental squad—Rugby HTX.

“The main goal of Rugby HTX is to create and solidify a pathway to the Houston SaberCats,” says Paul Emerick, who will run the program along with his coaching duties for the MLR franchise. “We want highly motivated players who can see themselves playing one day in the near future for a professional team.”

Rugby HTX will have three field sessions per week at AVEVA Stadium and play a mixture of D1/D2 matches as well as against other MLR team academies and pathway programs. Structured strength and conditioning programs and video analysis will also play a major role in the program. It will be a capped team of 30 players that will either be invited into the program or who have made the team from a combine event.

Players for Rugby HTX must be over 18 and will benefit from a professional environment and have an opportunity to earn practice time with the SaberCats.

“The MLR is focused on growing the sport of rugby in the United States and we feel this is a big step to bolster the sport specifically in Houston,” says SaberCats President JT Onyett. “We will continue to focus efforts on youth rugby and helping kids get introduced to our game.”

The first combine event will take place on August 8 at AVEVA Stadium and more information will be available on houstonsabercats.com.