In an effort to force his way into the Eagles scrumhalf conversation Chris Saint will be headed to New Zealand to play with Sumner. Since being a standout at Penn State Saint has been living in the Houston area playing rugby for HARC. Saint was a part of the Eagles Select XV squad at the Americas Rugby Championship and was on the roster but didn't play against Canada in the Pacific Nations Cup opener last May. He previously played for the Junior and College All-Americans.
Sumner play within the Canterbury Rugby Union in the Metropolitan Sub-union. The 18 teams in the sub-union play for the Hawkins Cup every year. Sumner, who are also known as "the Wave," have recently placed players on the Canterbury ITM Cup squad.
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The move will allow Saint to get some valuable playing time against difficult competition. Several players in the past have gone to New Zealand to improve their skills, such as Todd Clever and Eric Fry. There is a possibility that if he plays well enough Saint could land on an ITM Cup team. If not, he also has the possibility of the Heartland Championship.
Another player already overseas trying to increase their skills and visibility is former Texas A&M player Brian Guillen. He is in South Africa playing with FNB TUT Vikings in the Varsity Shield. The Shield is a division below the Varsity Cup with the winner of the division gaining promotion. Guillen came off the bench last weekend in their win over FNB UWC.