Dallas Jackals Signs Henry Stevenson

The Dallas jackals signed Henry Stevenson for the 2021 major League Rugby season. The 20-year-old lock (21 in December) is 6’5″ and 250 lbs.

Henry is from Toronto, Canada, and began playing rugby in the seventh grade with the Toronto Nomads Rugby Club. He attended Royal St. George’s College and in 2017 he represented Canada at the Auckland School 7s tournament in New Zealand. The team was coached by Fred Asselin and comprised of 16-18-year-old players. He also played for the Ontario Blues U19s against the USA High School All-Americans in 2017, as well as taking part in the Canadian Maple Leafs 7s National Development Program and was selected to represent Canada at the Youth Commonwealth Games which were held in Nassau, Bahamas. Henry said, “it was a life-changing experience and solidified my dream to become a professional rugby player.”

Henry progressed through the Ontario Blues program and played for the Senior Men’s Sevens Team and won the National Sevens Championship.

He enrolled at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario in 2019 and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics. While there he played rugby and toured with the Canada U20s to Portugal and Spain and also helped his team win the North American Invitational 7s Championship in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was part of the extended U20s Trophy squad but was not included in the final Trophy competition.

Henry also played fo rthe Ontario Blues against Old Glory during the 2019 DC exhibition season.

Henry expressed an interest in playing Major League Rugby when he completed a form for the MLR Collegiate Draft.

Dallas Jackals Comments

Henry says rugby has allowed him to travel across the world to discover new countries and make new friends. He is excited to have the “opportunity to help build the culture and define what it means to be a Jackal.” He says, playing in an “environment with such knowledgeable management [in Allen Clarke and Elaine Vassie]will give me the best opportunity to further cultivate my rugby skills.” Henry is excited to help grow the game of rugby in North America and says, “MLR is a pathway that is developing the next generation of rugby talent which will allow North American players to find more success internationally.”

For Henry, moving to Dallas “will feel just like home since Canada is known for the similar Southern hospitality.” He continued, “being Canadian, I’m naturally a hockey fan so I’m excited to see a Stars game.” Welcome to the pack Henry!