Rugby ATL signed Tiaan Strauss Erasmus through the Major League Rugby 2022 season. The 25-year-old hooker/flanker (26 in March) is 6’1″ and 243 lbs.
Tiaan played 453 minutes in 9 matches, starting 6, for the Houston SaberCats in 2021.
He played 224 minutes in all five matches for the Austin Gilgronis in 2020, starting the first three and coming off the bench for the other two, as well as scoring 4 tries. He also earned MLR XV of the week honors twice, and finished the season 3rd in assists amongst the whole league.
In 2019 he played 637 minutes in 15 matches in the 2019 season, starting 9. He scored one try, carried 51 times for 282 meters, made one kick for 50 meters, and made 81 tackles.
Tiaan is from Pretoria, South Africa, and lived in Bloemfontein, prior to moving to Austin, Texas to join Austin Elite Rugby for the 2019 season. He went to Hoerskool Waterkloof and played rugby beginning at age 14 as a loose forward. He attended the Central University of Technology, Free State, and then the University of Free State.
In 2014 he played rugby 15s and 7s with the Bulls and was selected for the Craven Week Under-18s squad. In 2015 he played with the Cheetahs Under-19s team and then in 2017 with the Under-21s. he also played with the University of Free State in the Varsity Cup playing for the Under-19s and the Under-20s. He represented that team each year from 2015-2018 in the Varsity Cup competition. Following the 2018 Varsity Cup, he was named FNB Player that Rocks Award.
In 2018 Tiaan played with the Men’s Free State Cheetahs side in the Supersport Challenge Cup, in 2019 through 2020 played with the Austin Gilgronis, and will play with the Houston SaberCats for the next two years.
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