Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
The Houston SaberCats have made a sizable addition to their midfield in the form of Thretton Palamo. At 6’3″ (1.90m) and 116kg (255lbs) he is a menacing figure with ball in hand, a sight not seen in 18 months after he was forced to sit out the entirety of 2018 with a persistent foot injury. Now fully fit, the 30-year-old will be hoping to make up for lost time in a new-look Houston backline that recently added Eagles winger Deion Mikesell.
Palamo was just 19 when he made his test debut against South Africa at the 2007 World Cup. He then signed a three-year deal with Biarritz in France but instead opted to return to America to play football for the Utah Utes. After returning to rugby in 2014 he had a turbulent spell in the UK that saw him play for the Saracens, London Welsh, Bristol, and the Dragons until the foot problem sidelined his career in September 2017.
With 17 caps to his name, Eagles selectors will have their eye on the physical specimen though his time to impress ahead of what would be his third World Cup is short. Paul Lasike and Bryce Campbell are the incumbents but specialist options otherwise are thin with Marcel Brache and Dylan Audsley both considered utility backs. Palamo could make his Major League Rugby debut as early as Saturday when the SaberCats play their first ever game at their new AVEVA Stadium home against the Seattle Seawolves.
