Glendale Raptors & Hanco Germishuys

The Glendale Raptors signed Hanco Germishuys for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. The 22-year-old back row is 6’2″, and 224 pounds.

Hanco was born in Kimberly, Northern Cape, South Africa and attended Newton School. He began playing rugby at a young age and moved to Omaha, Nebraska with his father in 2004. There he attended Westside High School.

Hanco progressed rapidly through the USA Rugby age-grade pathway. He was captain of the Under-18s for TEam USA at the Youth Olympics, played for the Under-18s since age 14 for four consecutive years, and the Under-20s in both 2015 and in 2016. He was a four year high school all-american.

During the 2014-15 season he attended Gloucester Academy, played for four weeks in 2015 with the Sharks Academy and spent the 2015-16 season with the Glendale Raptors in winning the Pacific Rugby Premiership Championship.

In 2016 he played for the Denver Stampede, making nine appearances and scoring six tries. In 2017, it was on to the Austin Huns, where the team won the USA Club Rugby Division 1 national Championship. In 2018 he played with Austin Elite Rugby in the inaugural Major League Rugby season. He made five appearances due to his National team commitment, while scoring six tries.

Hanco also played in the Americas Pacific Challenge in 2016, 2017 and in 2018 for the USA Selects. On February 27, 2016 he made his debut for the Eagles (No. 489) against Brazil and his last match was on November 24, 2018 against Ireland. He has 11 caps, started eight times and has scored six tries.

During 2019, Hanco will return to Glendale and be part of the MLR squad that seeks to win consecutive MLR regular season titles and add the Championship to conclude the playoffs.