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.
Hughston comes to Washington, DC after joining Rugby United New York for the 2019 season. While RUNY fell short in the semifinal game against San Diego Legion, Hughston was applauded for high tackle counts and defensive work rate during games and was known as an enforcer on the field.
Said Matt, “I am humbled and honored to join Old Glory in our Nation’s Capital. I am fortunate to have experienced warm welcomes from coaches, teammates, friends and the community. I am excited to bring my style of passion and diligence to OG’s game systems and look forward to supporting the local community wherever I can get involved! Thank you to Coach Douglas for providing me this special opportunity, and to all of those who have helped me make the District my new home. My focus is to build upon previous experiences from two seasons in the MLR, and raising that Shield at the end of this season!”
Fans will be able to see Matt Hughston take the field during the 2020 home opener on February 16th. Season ticket sales are now out! Make sure you get the best spot in the stands this season. Secure tickets to the FIRST EVER Major League Rugby match against the 2x MLR Champions, Seattle Seawolves.
