Matt Hughston

Position: Flanker

Height: 6′ 3″

Weight: 224 lbs

Age: 30

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hughston was introduced to rugby while in high school and quickly became a dominant force in the North Carolina Youth Rugby Union.  After graduating high school, Hughston enrolled at East Carolina University, where he joined the collegiate rugby team. The flanker, who actually played center until making his way into the professional leagues, quickly became a college standout and joined the USA Rugby U20 squad for the 2009 World Rugby Junior World Trophy competition in Kenya.  The Eagles won silver in the competition.  Hughston was named a Collegiate All-American twice and a Collegiate All-South in 15s. Shortly after graduating college, Hughston started his club career with USA South Rugby joining their 7s and 15s squads on multiple tours.

In 2016, Hughston started his professional career for the Ohio Aviators, a professional team in PRO Rugby.  Hughston was voted top flanker in the first PRO Rugby season, despite only playing half the season due to a broken jaw injury.  After the collapse of the league, Hughston continued to pursue his professional dream while attending Team USA Rugby 7s and 15s training camps at the Olympic Training Center in California.  In 2017, Hughston was called up to the USA Falcons on the South American Tour, instantly creating a highlight in his career as he represented USA Rugby on a multi-stop tour.