The University of Mary Washington rugby program and the Austin Huns rugby club will officially announce tomorrow a partnership.

This is a unique partnership instigated by the Huns, which has become an independent professional team over the past couple of years. The Huns reached out to UMW rugby to develop a partnership that would offer players training and playing opportunities, and also provide the Huns a long-term recruiting opportunity.

"We have a great coaching staff here at Mary Washington," said UMW Men's Rugby Director of Rugby Tim Brown. "But anytime a well-organized club says they want to send you coaches and work with you, it's a no-brainer. They're not just a club looking to get something out of us, they're looking to give something. They are a well-organized club and they own their own field. They are impressive."

The Austin Huns will send coaches to UMW in Virginia to assist with player development, and then open up chances for extended tryouts for the players in Texas.

"We have high expectations of our incoming players," said Huns General Manager Thierry Daupin, "and in talking to coaches here and abroad, it is apparent that UMW doing something different with their rugby program. We feel like just giving their students a look into our program will allow their players to choose the Austin Huns as their destination when they graduate. Looking at their program, they have players that are real prospects for our full professional side."

UMW has an ongoing partnership with the Leicester Tigers in the UK, and continue to forge relationships with major rugby organizations. This spring, the Mothers will tour Ireland, playing Connacht Academy and the University College Dublin U20s.

In the deal with Austin, UMW juniors and seniors will have the opportunity the opportunity to play and train with the Huns during Winter Break and during the summer 7s season - essentially an extended job interview for the pro team.

(The Huns are not part of PRO Rugby, but a professional team that plays its own schedule. The Huns are going to be a part of a new national league - Major League Rugby - slated to start in 2018, one that is based not on the central control of PRO Rugby, but on the strength of individual clubs.)

"I hear loud and clear from our players that they want to take their game as far as possible," added Brown. " We full support our students following the professional path and looking for employment in Austin, inside and outside of rugby. We are going to continue to work with the Leicester Tigers for player and coach development and with professional opportunities in Ireland for grad school - the Austin Huns are just another way we are raising the ceiling for our students. I am impressed with manager Thierry Daupin and Head Coach Eugene Eloff - I am excited for students that choose to follow this path."