The Houston United Rugby Team is more commonly known as HURT. It’s one of the bigger mens’ rugby clubs in Texas and has enjoyed plenty of success in the second and third divisions.
The club has two mens’ fifteens teams and plays sevens in the summer months.
Where Are The HURT Training Fields?
The HURT train and play home games at Kerr Park in central Houston.
The address is 4620 Arlington Street, Houston, TX 77022.
Training is held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Check out their Facebook group with the latest news about training.
HURT Men’s Teams
HURT has two men’s teams who play in Division 2 and 3.
The club has won their local D2 division (South Texas) for six years up to the 2017/2018 season. HARC is one of their big Houston rugby rivals, and HURT has consistently had the edge in recent years.
The D3 side has also been very competitive. Their nickname is the Henchmen.
New Players
The HURT encourages all new members, regardless of rugby background. Some of their most stalwart players come from a college football background.
The D3 fifteens side will include players in their first seasons of playing rugby.
Part of the fun of playing rugby in Houston is that the city also hosts a professional franchise. The Houston SaberCats owners are keen on outreach to local clubs. So you’ll have opportunities to train with their professional coaches. And you’ll get invites to special events.
HURT Sevens Rugby
One way of learning the ropes is by playing summer sevens. The club gets involved in plenty of 7s competitions through the summer.
Houston hosts several 7s tournaments that attract teams from across the country. The club both plays and gets involved in supporting the local tournies.
Does The Club Have Women’s Teams?
HURT only has men’s teams.
If you’re looking for a women’s rugby team in Houston, check out our article on the sHARCs, the women’s team at the Houston Athletic Rugby Club.
History Of HURT
HURT was founded in 2012 by a group of players, many of whom are still very active in the club.
Jonathan Schnacke, one of the co-founders, was also club president up until 2018. Another 2012 player, LT Herman, succeeded him as president.
I mentioned that HURT has plenty of players from a college football background. Jacob Badgett is one example. He also played semi-pro with the East Texas Crusaders.
Another example is Zack Hiller, who played left tackle in school and college. He was introduced to rugby in his junior college year and liked what he saw.
I love the fact you can do everything in rugby. You play offense, you play defense and tackle someone and you can put points on the board. It’s such a great game.
Zack Hiller, HURT player
But plenty of players come from a background of college rugby. And then there’s an international flavor with overseas players who played in schoolboy leagues.
Jon Linnet, one of the original players, is an unusual example. He played schools rugby in Switzerland and made the Swiss national team at underage level. I certainly don’t encounter many Swiss rugby internationals!
Bringing The HURT
How long did it take the original players to come up with the name of “Houston United Rugby Team”? Was it over a few beers?
I guess we should be grateful that they didn’t try for a more creative (or outrageous) acronym. But maybe they did,d and were rejected by the Texas Union. Whatever the story, it allows the club to throw some great slogans into their match announcements.
To give you a flavor of the club, have a look at one of their early posters:
Wait, is their logo a grinning skull with a hole in it? Why, yes. Yes it is! But that’s just for the D2 team. Their other team is far more refined.
The D3 team (the Henchmen) run with this hirsute gentleman in a jaunty hat:
If they ever start a women’s team, I’ll be fascinated to see the logo. And while young lads must surely love the branding, I wonder about their mothers!
Online Presence And Social Media
Their club website continues the theme of mayhem. They could have gone with a simple and staid domain. I checked, and “hurtrfc” is still available. But their website is “iplayhurt.com”. Of course it is!
You can get to their website at this link.
The HURT Facebook group is probably the best choice for the most current news on training schedules and matches.