Houston SaberCats & Justin Allen
The Houston SaberCats signed Justin Allen, a 6’11’, 250-pound lock, for the inaugural 2018 Major League Rugby season. Allen is from Saltmills, Wexford, Ireland, but has played for the USA Under-18s in 2013 in Argentina. He is USA Rugby qualified by his mother.
Allen played youth rugby for the Wexford Wanderers, in Wexford, County Wexford for two years before moving and playing in Letterkenny in County Donegal for two seasons. For another two seasons, he was an age grade player for Ulster, playing for the under-15s, under-16s, and under-17s. He also played rugby for Portadown from 2011-2014, and for the Brighton Colts, in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2015. He gained his first professional contract for Chinnor from 2015-2016, and for the Redingensian Rams in the National 2 South league in England from 2016-2017.
Allen joined the Houston SaberCats at the end of December and has played in their subsequent pre-season matches since January 6th against the Seattle Saracens. He is a mobile player, who often is among the first to arrive at the breakdown. The combination of either Charlie Hewitt or Robert Meeson has the potential to be a dominant lineout force during the Major League Rugby season. The team has already established that they are one of the best scrummaging teams, as the pre-season match against Uruguay demonstrated.
The Counter Rugby Podcast interview of Justin Allen by Cillian Gowan should not be missed.
Houston SaberCats Rugby
- Justin Fitzpatrick – Head Coach
- Sam Windsor – Backs Coach, Fly-half
- Matt Trouville – Academy Director, Backrow
- Charlie Hewitt – Lock
- Jake Turnbull – Youth Rugby, Prop
- Adam Macklin – Tighthead Prop
- Connor Murphy – Scrum-half
- Jackson Slater – Lock
- Kyle Sumsion – Flanker
- Christopher Slater – Scrumhalf/ Wing
- Codi Jones – Prop (Injury, Out for Season)
- Diego Armando Maquieira – Hooker
- Pago Haini – Backrow
- Zach Pangelinan – Fullback
- Osea Kolinisau – Center
- Estevan Florez – Prop
- Cecil Garber IV – Flanker
- Colton Pederson – Backrow
- Craig Whitlock – Backrow
- Malacchi Esdale – Center
- LaThaddeus Hill Jr. – Wing
- Conor Mills – Center
- Kieran Farmer– Flyhalf
- Willie Perry-Jackson – Wing
- Andres Diaz – Hooker
- Josua Vici – Wing
- Chris Parker – Lock
- Chris Milledge – Scrumhalf
- Kenneth Hepburn – Flanker
- Dan Paul – Center, Wing
- Robert Meeson – Lock
- Jack Riley – Hooker, Prop
- Lindsey Stevens – Hooker
- Art Reyes – Wing
- Mo Mascary – Wing (*Replaced Jonny Marcel Harrison)
- Jamie Dever – Prop (*Injury replacement – Codi Jones)
- Justin Allen – Lock
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