The Houston SaberCats have acquired Canadian international Robbie Povey from the Utah Warriors in exchange for first and second round picks in the inaugural Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft. Utah will now have four picks with Houston skipping out entirely.
Povey arrived in Utah after playing for Sale FC in his native England and also featuring for Northampton’s development side. A goal-kicker equally comfortable at flyhalf or fullback, he played four matches for the Warriors in 2020, starting three games and scoring 10 points.
Though he did not feature at the Rugby World Cup, the 23-year-old remains on Canada’s radar. Povey made his test debut against Chile during the 2017 Americas Rugby Championship, with the most recent of his four caps coming against the USA during the 2018 ARC.
Another draft deal saw the NOLA Gold acquiring the second overall pick from expansion side Los Angeles in exchange for NOLA’s second round pick and future considerations. The draft is set for Saturday, June 13, and the revised order of selection can be seen below.
ROUND 1 1 Dallas 2 NOLA Gold 3 Utah Warriors 4 Austin Gilgronis 5 Seattle Seawolves 6 New England Free Jacks 7 Utah Warriors 8 Rugby ATL 9 Rugby United New York 10 NOLA Gold 11 Old Glory DC 12 San Diego Legion |
ROUND 2 1 Dallas 2 Los Angeles 3 Utah Warriors 4 Austin Gilgronis 5 Seattle Seawolves 6 New England Free Jacks 7 Utah Warriors 8 Rugby ATL 9 Rugby United New York 10 Los Angeles 11 Old Glory DC 12 San Diego Legion |