Kyle Breytenbach will continue to play Major League Rugby in Texas next season, but it won’t be in Austin. The versatile second or back row forward will pack his bags and head east to Houston where he call AVEVA Stadium home with the SaberCats. It’s a like-for-like replacement for retiring captain Matt Trouville.
Born and raised in South Africa but eligible for the USA on residency, Breytenbach has been a mainstay in the Austin side since making the jump from the Huns to the Elite (now Herd) prior to the inaugural 2018 MLR season. The 26-year-old appeared in all but one game for Austin over the past two seasons, playing lock, blindside flanker, and No8.
Breytenbach is the third new player to join the SaberCats in the off-season, the first forward. Midfielder Tiaan Loots was announced in August with outside back Zack Godfrey signed in September. The team will also have a new Director of Rugby this season in Paul Healy, most recently an Assistant Coach with Germany during their World Cup Qualification campaign.