United StatesTexas native Seth Smith played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2024-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).
Smith played football, wrestled, and played rugby through high school, the latter of which he was introduced to by his father. He was a USA Rugby All-American and was selected for the USA U20s. He signed a professional contract with the Houston SaberCats on 6th June 2023 when he was 17, becoming the youngest player in history to sign a Major League Rugby contract. He played with the SaberCats U18 side as well as the SaberCats 2 (Rugby HTX at the time) that year, and was announced as a member of the SaberCats MLR roster on 3rd January 2024 as the first graduate of their academy system.
Smith attended a USA Rugby U20 High Performance Camp over the Christmas period in 2023 before jumping in to the 2024 season with the SaberCats, where he scored 2 tries in 6 appearances (1 start) before returning to the USA U20s for the annual World Rugby U20s Trophy North American qualifier series against Canada. Smith earned a MLR Team of the Week selection for his performance in Round 9. On December 13th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats confirmed the return of Seth Smith for his sophomore season in MLR in 2025 where he set career highs across the board, starting 7 of his 13 appearances for the SaberCats and scoring 5 tries, earning another two MLR Team of the Week selections. He recorded 137m gained and 89 tackles, more than doubling his career totals in both.
Following the surprise news in September 2025 that the Houston SaberCats were withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Seth Smith became a free agent and on 22nd November, Anthem RC announced the addition of Smith for the 2026 season, a few days after his agency broke the news.
achievements
- 2025 Western Conference Champion: Houston SaberCats
- MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
- MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 6
- MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 10
- MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 9