By Aaron Wilson
Inside the Houston SaberCats’ locker room and on the field, veteran lock Nathan Den Hoedt provides a consistent presence without having to say a lot of words to impart his message.
It’s about the team, the team and the team: first, last and always.
Nicknamed “Moose,” Den Hoedt is one of the biggest and most physical players in Major League Rugby at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds.
The returning team captain carefully selects what he says with an emphasis on how his actions on and off the field impact the culture of the defending Western Conference division champions.
“I think it’s just it’s not so much what you say, it’s just more leading by example,” Den Hoedt said. “I know there’s a lot of leaders within this team, so it’s not myself out there. There’s a lot of boys that are in the leadership role. So, for me, it’s just about leading by example. I’m not necessarily saying too much when it’s not needed.”
After earning his 50th Cap last season, Den Hoedt is one of the most experienced players on the roster of a squad that earned the top seed in the playoffs last season and has unfinished business after a loss to the since-disbanded Dallas Jackals in the divisional semifinal round.
“Having ‘Moose’ as cappy, he has judgment on calls and we back him 100 percent and trust his judgment,” teammate Dominic Akina said.“His game play is really good. It helps to have a big guy like him for our line outs and scrums. He really pushes us to be better. He’s nonstop moving for 80 minutes. To have big guys like that moving for us smaller guys, there’s no complaints.”
Emphasizing ‘We, not me,” under returning coach Pote Human and an ‘Experience it Live,” mantra, the SaberCats have high hopes for the season and appreciate the support of their fans.
“We obviously love when the stadium is packed and everything like that,” Den Hoedt said. “We sure hear them out there and it makes a big difference for us. So, I think with the brand of rugby Pote is bringing this this season, I think it’s going to be really exciting and obviously looking to build on the back of the success last season. So, hopefully, those seats are filled, and I know the boys sure love it when they’re there.”
The team concept is what the SaberCats are all about.
“It’s just putting the team first and everything, really,” Den Hoedt said. “It’s just making sure that you’re giving everything you’ve got to the team rather than thinking about yourself. Pretty self-explanatory. Glad that all the boys are buying into it, so it’s good.”
Den Hoedt played previously with LA Giltinis in 2021 after playing for a national rugby championship for Brisbane City and NSW Country Eagles.
The Brisbane native from Queensland, Australia has also played for Sunnybank, the Randwick Rugby Club and was a team captain in the Shute Shield.
He spent the majority of the offseason training in the United States with a short trip home to Australia. He also participated in a rugby tournament in California.
“I stayed in America quite a while and then went back to Australia and saw my family for a couple of weeks and came back here for Christmas,” Den Hoedt said. “It’s good to be back. It was a fun offseason.”
Den Hoedt has a new addition to his personal roster: a Labrador dog.
“She’s just over a year old now,” he said. “She’s a handful, for sure.”
Encouraged by the performance in a 38-19 preseason win over the Nola Gold, Den Hoedt is looking forward to the regular season and the camaraderie and timing the team has established.
“Absolutely,” Den Hoedt said. “So, a lot of the squad from last season is still around, which makes a massive difference to have that continuity within the squad. I think as we go on, we get a few games under our belt, that’s really going to help us out also.”
