South African back row Gideon van Wyk played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2024, representing the Houston SaberCats for his entire MLR career.

Van Wyk’s original signing was announced in December 2021 ahead of the 2022 MLR season, with the then-20yo joined from the Cheetah’s organisation where he primarily played with the Free State Cheetahs side in the Currie Cup, having also played with the University of Free State. Van Wyk earned 13 caps (4 starts) during his debut MLR season, scoring 5 tries for the SaberCats on the way to their first ever Championship Series appearance, a 27-46 loss to the Seattle Seawolves in the Western Conference Final.

Gideon van Wyk followed up a solid debut season in MLR with a very impressive second year which earned him a All-MLR 2nd XV selection, gaining over 500m and scoring 11 tries in 10 games (8 starts) including a hattrick in Round 14’s 34-28 loss to the Utah Warriors, the 3rd hattrick in SaberCats club history. 10 of his 11 tries (in only 10 games) came in the regular season, finishing T-4th in the league. He earned more Team of the Week selections in 2023 than any other SaberCats player, with 3.

On 9th October 2023, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of Gideon van Wyk for the 2024 MLR season in which he played a smaller role, scoring 2 tries in 5 games (all starts) as the SaberCats finished top of the Western Conference with a league-best 14-2 record, and qualified to face the Dallas Jackals in the Quarter-Finals

Achievements

• All-MLR Second XV Selection – 2023
• T-4th in MLR Scoring: 2023 (11)
• MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 15
• MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 14
• MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 2
• MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Round 14