US-Eligible South African scrum-half Carlo de Nysschen played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2025. He represented the Glendale (later Colorado) Raptors (2018-2020), the San Diego Legion (2021), the Dallas Jackals (2022), the Houston SaberCats (2023-2024), and Anthem RC (2025).

Born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, de Nysschen joined the Blue Bulls Academy U18s in 2014 and played with the Free State Cheetahs U19s in 2015. He played with the University of Free State between 2015-2017 before moving to the USA in 2017. De Nysschen joined the Glendale Raptors academy in 2017 and was signed with the Raptors for the 2018 MLR season but never made a matchday appearance. The following season he earned 11 appearances with the Raptors, including 6 starts, scoring 2 tries and 16pts total (3/5 from the tee). He earned 2 Team of the Week selections during his true debut MLR season, and added another 5 caps (3 starts) in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the season down after only 5 rounds.

The Raptors withdrew from MLR after the 2020 season was cancelled, and de Nysschen signed with the San Diego Legion for MLR’s return in 2021. He earned 12 caps for San Diego, including 7 starts and another 2 tries, 21pts total (3/6 from the tee). Following the 2021 season, the San Diego Legion traded De Nysschen to the Dallas Jackals in exchange for 2022 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). During the 2022 season, he added another 2 tries to his tally, earning 9 starts in as many appearances. Following the 2022 season De Nysschen would move again, signing with the Houston SaberCats for the 2023 season, where he earned a personal best 15 appearances (and a PB 10 starts), scoring a career-high 4 tries. On 11th December 2023, the SaberCats announced the return of Carlo De Nysschen for the 2024 MLR season where he served as a solid back-up scrum half, not starting any games but earning 14 appearances off the bench as the ‘Cats finished the regular season as MLR’s top team, before being stunned by the Dallas Jackals (De Nysschen’s former team) in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Through his first 6 seasons as an active participant in MLR, De Nysschen earned 66 caps (35 starts), scoring 10 tries and 65pts (6/11 from the tee) total. To date, both of his MLR Team of the Week selections came in the 2019 season. On 14th August 2024, Anthem RC announced that they had acquired De Nysschen, along with Line Latu, from the Houston SaberCats in exchange for a 2025 International Player Slot.

Achievements

• MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Round 6
• MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Round 4