By Aaron Wilson
Max Schumacher journeyed thousands of miles on his personal quest for improvement, traveling to New Zealand for an extremely competitive rugby experience this offseason.
A former first-round draft pick, selected second overall in the Major League Rugby collegiate draft, the Houston SaberCats’ flyhalf and fullback sought enrichment and valuable knowledge from his time with the Manawatu Rugby Union Turbos in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
The former Cal-Berkeley standout brings that advanced training back with him for his second season with the defending Western Conference division champions and overall top seed.
Schumacher played for a union team first established in 1886 with a long tradition of rugby excellence in the formed national provincial championship competition.
“It was a great time,” Schumacher said. “I learned a lot of good rugby down there, just getting knowledge from then and I had a little bit of fun on the side as well. I feel like I’m a better all-around player.”
Now, Schumacher is coming off his first start for the defending Western Conference division champions.
The northern California native had a try in a road victory over Rugby FC Los Angeles with his family in attendance.
“I was talking to some of the boys, and I was telling them I’m on very familiar ground, a good place to get my first start and be comfortable,” Schumacher said. “It was great to have that support.”
After a rookie season spent adapting to the professional game, Schumacher returns with increased confidence and skills.
“I’m more comfortable now, definitely,” he said. “From that opportunity to go overseas, I came back more confidence and a better player with more knowledge about the game. I’m just ready to execute it for Houston now.”
At Cal, Schumacher was a three-time Pac-12 champion and a collegiate All-American selection and a Rudy Scholz finalist.
The SaberCats traded up to acquire Schumacher, sending Rob Povey to the Toronto Arrows in exchange for a first-round selection.
The Cal pipeline has a legacy of producing excellent players for the SaberCats.
That includes former standouts Christian Dyer and Danny Barrett.
Schumacher is honored to follow in their footsteps and continue to achieve his rugby goals.
Schumacher, a speedy 5-foot-10, 195-pound Sacramento, Calif., native was a three-time high school team Most Valuable Player at Jesuit and a co-captain for a squad that won the national single school championship. He played for the Eagle Impact Rugby academy U16s and U18s.
Now, Schumacher is in line for an increased role after working into the lineup over the past year after being drafted originally in 2023 before his rookie season last year.
He’s a part of a talented roster coached by Pote Human that embraces a “We, not me” mentality for an “Experience it Live,” rugby experience for a growing fan base at SaberCats Stadium.
“I’m feeling good,” Schumacher said. “We’ve gotten a lot of work done. The boys are feeling good. There’s a lot of cohesion in the group. We’re just ready to play for each other and give our best push to win the Shield.“The goal is to play together as a group. I think we’ve accomplished a lot this offseason. We have the makings of a nice team definitely. Most of the team is back. We’ve got a lot of returning players and a lot of really key new additions that are making a difference already.”
