NEWS

Ruben De Haas And NOLA Gold – A Match Made In Heaven

Written By Joe Harvey

There has been plenty of water under the bridge since Ruden de Haas last played in Major League Rugby.

Four years ago, the NOLA Gold scrum-half enjoyed a season with the Austin Gilgronis before he joined Gallagher Premiership Rugby giants Saracens.

After two years in north London, he returned to South Africa and the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

His return to the club that launched his career was short-lived. He sustained an ACL injury in his first game back against the Western Force.

A trip to Cape Town for surgery, where the same doctor treated him as World Cup-winning South Africa captain Siya Kolisi, followed by seven months of rehabilitation.

“In the morning, I would go in, do my rehab, upper body weights, and then chill with the team,” he said. “That was pretty much every day. It was pretty boring.

“It was quite tough. Obviously, everyone in my family is in the US. There were some pretty lonely, dark days.

“For me, I was just making sure that I made every day count with my rehab. Getting through it.”

A hamstring injury in his first game back held De Haas back a little more, but when he finally got back to full fitness, all the 26-year-old needed was minutes on the pitch.

Entrusted to start two Pacific Nations Cup matches last September, he went on to start three more Tests in Europe before spending a month in Amsterdam, Holland, representing the Cheetahs in the EPCR Challenge Cup group stages.

To get back in the swing of things and play regular rugby, De Haas looked back to home shores and the swamplands of Louisiana.

A meeting with the Gold’s former General Manager, Ryan Fitzgerald, put the wheels in motion for a five-month loan spell at the Shrine on Airline.

“I was just desperate to get game time and play after my injury,” De Haas said. “Scott Lawrence (USA Rugby Men’s Eagles head coach) is pretty big on that.

“To put my best foot forward, I needed to be playing week in and week out. The main thing for me is that I want to be playing for the USA.

“He (Lawrence) trusted me and played me in the PNC, but I didn’t play well at all.

“So just being able to get back on the field, get comfortable again, get back into a routine of being on the field, it’s helped me a lot.

“I’ve played 15 games (since December), and I’m just grateful to be playing, to get a good amount of minutes, and to be healthy. I’m really grateful for that.”

On top of helping NOLA aim for Playoffs rugby for a second season in a row, De Haas is hopeful that he will be named in the USA Men’s Eagles squad for their July matches and for their Pacific Nations Cup campaign, which can end with 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification.

“It’s probably the biggest year for USA Rugby,” De Haas said. “We have qualifiers, and we’re playing against England in the summer.

“The main thing is the qualifiers and I’d like to be playing my best rugby at that time.

“Being able to play week in and week out has boosted my confidence a lot. I’m really looking forward to it. If my name is in the group, I’ll put my best foot forward for the Eagles.”

Before any Test matches take place, De Haas will wholly be focused on the final three weekends of the MLR regular season with the Gold.

Danny Lee’s team is currently fifth in the Eastern Conference ahead of Week 15.

As they celebrated their captain, Moni Tonga’uiha, hitting 100 league appearances, the side lost their third fixture in a row to Old Glory DC.

Following other results as the week wore on, NOLA is seven points adrift of the Miami Sharks and still has clashes against the Utah Warriors, Chicago Hounds, and New England Free Jacks to come.

With the carrot of knockout rugby dangling in front of them, the desire to take on the best in class is overwhelmingly strong among a playing group that has been frustrated by their own performances in recent weeks.

“We talked about it (following the team’s 27-14 Week 14 loss to Old Glory DC),” De Haas said. “It’s something we’ve been discussing all season; it’s like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.

“Against Miami, we had 17 penalties. Our discipline has been the thing killing us.

“Hopefully, we can clean that up. We know we have to put all our effort into these last three games.

“Even if we get bonus points out of all of them, it still doesn’t guarantee us to be in the Playoffs.

“We know it is going to be a tough three weeks, and we’ll see what happens at the end of that.”

The Gold are back and ready to battle this Saturday at 6 PM as they take on the Utah Warriors right here at home!👑💪🏼
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Let’s pack the stands, bring the energy, and defend the Kingdom with everything we’ve got. It’s time to rise, rally, and reign as one! pic.twitter.com/DZb91jio0c

— NOLA Gold Rugby (@nolagoldrugby) May 23, 2025