Fledgling Houston Strikers looking to add more native rugby talent through summer combines

The Houston Strikers will be one of nine teams competing in the inaugural Major League Rugby season in 2018. The Strikers are holding two combines, July 15 and Aug. 19, to locate and recruit native Houston talent to add to the roster. less The Houston Strikers will be one of nine teams competing in the inaugural Major League Rugby season in 2018. The Strikers are holding two combines, July 15 and Aug. 19, to locate and recruit native Houston ... more Photo: C/o Houston Strikers Photo: C/o Houston Strikers Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Fledgling Houston Strikers looking to add more native rugby talent through summer combines 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

'Once in a lifetime opportunity' is one of the most overused promising in marketing, and one of the least honest.

It's a fair way to describe the next three months for Houston rugby players, though.

As the fledgling Major League Rugby prepares to take flight in 2018, the Houston Strikers – reviving a once-defunct club name – are holding two combines, July 15 at the Athlete Training and Health – South facility at 12211 Kirby Dr. and Aug. 19 at the North facility at 19392 Stuebner Airline Rd.

Like its parent organization, the team, is – despite the name – starting more or less from scratch. Justin Fitzpatrick, assistant coach for the U.S. Men's National Team and former head coach of the Seattle Saracens, was tabbed as head coach. Sam Windsor, most recently a fly-half for Ulster, will be both assistant coach and player.

Northern Irish tighthead prop Adam Macklin and London Irish scrumhalf Connor Murphy are also confirmed team signings, but, by design, not too many more of the names will be European heavyweights, says Windsor.

"Each team in the league is allowed five international players, which will prevent teams from flooding the market with foreign skill and taking away from the local aspect of what we're trying to do," Windsor said, "Not everyone's going to be from Houston. People will come from out of state and overseas, but we're putting an emphasis on getting a fair percentage of the players locally."

That local emphasis built into the league's structure might benefit some teams more than others. Austin, Dallas and Houston will all field teams in MLR's inaugural season, and all three exist in the fertile rugby hotbed that is Texas. But Houston, a port-adjacent hub with an oil and gas backbone, might stand to benefit the most.

"The state of rugby in Texas is really healthy," Windsor said. "Houston's got 50-odd teams, from youth ages, under 12s and under 10s, right through to men's teams, including high school and college teams. There's plenty of rugby here. With the expats in the oil and gas industry, that brings with it people who have grown up watching rugby from Australia, England and the rest of Europe."

Windsor would know. He has been sitting down with the players and coaches of those teams, and seeing Houston's rugby talent face to face.

"We've met with almost all the teams," Windsor said. "There's a couple we've yet to get out to, but we've seen teams from up in The Woodlands to down in Galveston, to out in Katy."

One team, in particular, caught Windsor's eye as he and the rest of the Strikers organization made their citywide tour.

"The Cy-Fair Warriors is one of the more promising young teams coming through the high school ranks," Windsor said. "They're a really impressive bunch of young boys. I was lucky enough to be able to speak at their end-of-season banquet, listen to their coach speak and watch the boys receive their awards. I was really impressed with their maturity and the way they carried themselves."

Windsor pointed to Keoni Francis – a founder of the Warriors club who earned USA Rugby Boys High School All-American honors – as a sterling example of Houston-area rugby prowess, and a sign of the times. Windsor, whose email signature includes the line 'Inspiring Houston to fall in love with rugby,' doesn't count on rugby superseding football in the Lone Star State, but he is noticing that many superior, versatile athletes are electing to play rugby, because of the variety of opportunities the sport offers.

"They can catch the ball, pass the ball, run with the ball and tackle all in the one game without worrying about being on offense or defense, or being a lineman or something like that," Windsor said. "They realize they can do a little more in rugby, and they're falling in love with it."

As a result, Houston is a good place to look for American rugby talent, and that's exactly what Windsor and the Strikers intend to do with the two summer combines. And make no mistake – the team is looking to add local talent to its roster.

"There's some serious athletes out there [in Houston]," Windsor said. "If we can help them along the way with some coaching and developing some skills, we could eventually get to the point where the majority of the team is from Texas."

As to what to expect in the combines, Windsor tells prospects to be prepared to think on their feet.

"We'll do some typical tests, some aerobic and anaerobic and whatnot," Windsor said. "But we're more interested to see who can adapt to the game. We're going to throw some scenarios at them, and from that, you can tell who will make it, and who maybe needs a bit more work."

The first combine has already generated considerable response in the rugby community, per Windsor, though he welcomes more.

"It's exciting to see," Windsor said. "We're getting a lot of interest. We've had about 34 express interest on the online registration for the combine. If we can get 50 at the first combine, that would be a massive win for us. And if we can get one or two potential players from that, great. I'm also not against the fact that it could be five or 10 guys who challenge for a spot."

The Houston Strikers will hold two combines this summer: July 15 at the Athlete Training and Health – South facility at 12211 Kirby Dr. and Aug. 19 at the North facility at 19392 Stuebner Airline Rd. Both combines require a $30 fee, and run from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information, visit the Houston Strikers' Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StrikersRugby/