Missionary Meyer spreads gospel of MLR

Pitching up at Ebbw Vale on the other side of the world wouldn’t immediately spring to mind as the most obvious choice to achieve that feat but that’s exactly what he did anyway in 2013.

Ebbw Vale coach Jason Strange had touched base with the ambitious Sharks Academy product and nine years later, speaking from his base in New Orleans where he is now playing for NOLA Gold in Major League Rugby (MLR), he still recalls the pilgrimage with fondness.

“With Ebbw Vale I felt at home and it had a family feel over there,” he says, before adding, “I got over there on a six month sports visa. Jason Strange saw some of my clips and got in contact and he wanted to bring me over to see if I was a good fit. From the moment I touched down I had people messaging me asking me if I needed anything, just reaching out and I felt at home straight away.

“Getting to the stadium, meeting some of the supporters and our first training session and on game day I literally felt right at home as everyone was so welcoming. You’d swear they had known me the way they greeted me – I really loved that which made my start at Ebbw Vale really special,” he recalls.

“I went there when I was around 23 looking for an opportunity to try and get into professional rugby and I knew they had the link with the Dragons – I had nothing set in stone, I just came over with a dream and a drive and took it from there.

“It was a shot in the dark, I started off with literally a six month visa and with nothing guaranteed on the back of that but after playing and performing Jason wanted me to come back and finish off the season so I went back home, got the same visa to close out the season and then we looked to get a long term visa for me to stay and that’s how I got to start training with the Dragons and then I got my shot with them.”

Meyer’s physical prowess in the Steelmen’s midfield and his booming boot caught the eye in the Welsh Premiership and those attributes eventually led to him earning a chance with the Dragons in 2015. A switch to full-back saw him make 64 appearances for the region before he was released in 2018, leaving him pondering his next move.

“I ended up with an injury early on which didn’t help, I had the option of fixing it or trying to  manage it and play and I thought I was doing myself a favour by trying to play to get that contract.

“We had new coaching staff and everything was changing and then I didn’t really get back to full health and then they obviously looked to go a different way which was upsetting as I felt I performed well enough to stay but I believe everything happens for a reason and it led to different opportunities and two years after that I’m in America playing rugby and enjoying it.”

Meyer ended his Welsh stint the way he began it, with Ebbw Vale in the Premiership. With interest from teams in France and Europe, Meyer instead plumped for America where MLR is going from strength to strength.

“I talked to NOLA general manager Ryan Fitzgerald, we hit it off and I loved what the club was doing. It’s very similar to Ebbw Vale’s family culture and I was all about that, plus the opportunity to bring a bit of experience and knowledge and grow rugby here in America was a big pull for me so when that opportunity came up I said, ‘yea, let’s see where it goes.’

New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz and world-renowned for its distinct music, creole cuisine and festivals, all of which Meyer has enjoyed sampling in his new surroundings.

“It’s a really big culture shock here, just in New Orleans there is a multitude of cultures living in one city which is pretty cool – you get to experience a whole bunch of different cultures at the same time, the food down here is unbelievable. Everything is a lot more fast paced and obviously bigger here than back home in South Africa or in Ebbw Vale – it was a different adjustment but I’m really enjoying it.

“A lot of the team live in apartment complexes so we get to spend good quality time training and when we get away we spend some time together outside of the pitch and build that chemistry that NOLA Gold is known for,” he adds.

It’s proved a home away from home for Meyer as an enclave of South Africans play for Nola, with former Ospreys winger Hanno Dirksen the latest recruit.

As for the rugby, Meyer has been pleasantly surprised with the standard of rugby in the two conferences of MLR.

“It’s definitely a lot better than what I thought it was going to be. Initially, not knowing a lot about US rugby, I knew they are doing really well in the sevens so I figured athletically it was going to be just as good. There was just a question mark of how the skillset would be compared to all over the world but coming over here, I’ve discovered it is just as physical and fast paced and the skills are definitely right up there so it’s a lot better than what I expected,’ he confirms.

“It’s very close to par in terms of the way the game is played, the brutality and pace and everyone here has got that mindset of growing the game,” he says.

“I think the way they are looking to play the game is really exciting – fast paced rugby which is really attractive and then you have got some really experienced players also starting to join the league. There is so much potential and the growth is growing at an unbelievable rate and it’s awesome to be part of – it’s a great standard to be playing and it’s only going to keep improving each year.”

US rugby has often been described as the next big thing for decades but the American buy-in has proved a tough nut to crack but Meyer believes the MLR is no flash in the pan.

“We’ve started to get rugby in a lot more schools and high schools and giving them an understanding of what rugby is, there are now some high schools which have rugby programmes – America is definitely a sleeping giant in terms of rugby with all the athletic potential they have down here. Bringing it through the grass roots will be a really big thing here,” he says.

On the pitch, NOLA are targeting a play-off place, a feat which has eluded them so far in the competition. They were leading the Eastern Conference but a defeat to San Diego Legion dropped them to third spot behind Atlanta-based Rugby ATL and Rugby United New York. After nine rounds they are hanging on to fourth position overall but Meyer is optimistic his side can create history and reach the play-offs.

“That has always been the target,” says Meyer. “Last year we felt we were hitting our straps quite nicely going into week five before COVID hit and this has been a whole different ball game because now we have different factors, we have to get tested every second day, as long as we keep healthy and do the right things we definitely can put ourselves in a position to win it – that is the ultimate goal. We have to take it one game at a time as in our conference it is neck and neck, you can’t rely on anyone to do you any favours so we have got to focus on each week.”

NOLA, New York, Rugby ATL and Toronto have all led the conference at some point this season which suggests an exciting climax to the season and Meyer is eager to make his presence count.

“We have got an Australian coach who loves throwing the ball around and loves to play attacking rugby, he’s not the biggest fan of kicking the ball even though that is one of my strong points but I enjoy it as he gives us the freedom to play what’s in front of us and use our skillsets to the best of our abilities,” adds Meyer.

Meyer is still in contact with some of his ex-teammates at the Dragons and keeps tabs on the results, but his main focus is now stateside.

“It’s special to be part of this competition, it’s still in its infancy, just its fourth year but it’s been growing at a really good rate and been managed well, they haven’t tried to go too big too soon and a lot of players are looking to experience it from around the world,” he says.

He points to the likes of England duo Chris Robshaw and Ben Foden along with All Blacks star Ma’a Nonu and French powerhouse Mathieu Bastareaud who are just a handful of international players who have headed for the MLR.

“There are a lot of players trying to find out what it’s like to come out and play so it is definitely an exciting time for rugby. I’m excited for what the future may bring – we have a six month season so the body has a bit more time to heal and you get to look after it a lot more so who knows how long I can keep going for? Some guys are playing at 36/37 years of age so we’ll see what happens.”