'Drove about four and a half hours, paid fifty dollars out of my pocket to try out for the team'
Ross Depperschmidt is one of many feel-good stories to have come out of Major League Rugby’s three seasons of rapid success.
He trod the road less travelled on his rise to the professional ranks after first being unaware of what the sport was when he began studying at the University of Alabama in 2012.
Eight years later, Depperschmidt has caps next to his name in America’s top flight of domestic rugby, featuring regularly for NOLA Gold this year before their campaign was cut short.
The centre paid fifty dollars to try out for the New Orleans franchise in August of 2018, temporarily casting aside his master’s degree in engineering to pursue a career in one of the fastest-growing sports in America.
Two months later, he received a phone call that would change his life as he made the decision to sacrifice academic opportunities to pursue professional rugby in the United States.
“I ended up coming down here, drove about four and a half hours, paid fifty dollars out of my pocket to try out for the team,” Depperschmidt said.
“The tryout day, it was pissing down rain and there were puddles all over the field, pretty poor field conditions. There were about forty guys there, all pretty good rugby players or good athletes at least, but I figured that I’d just give it all I’ve got.
“About a month or two after that, I got a call from Taylor Howden who was the Academy coach, a current player at the time.
“It took some contemplating cause I could pursue another career academically with my engineering degree or chase the dream of playing rugby so I decided to go with that and so far it’s working out.”
Depperschmidt grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, playing the more traditional American sports before discovering rugby at the University of Alabama.
While they weren’t regarded as a powerhouse of American collegiate rugby, Alabama offered him what he needed to develop his skillset.
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Unlike the more popular American codes, rugby is generally offered as a club sport through universities around the country. This appealed to Depperschmidt with everyone playing fully committed to the cause, paying extra on top of tuition to travel and take the field each week.
“You have to be committed because you’re paying out of pocket and you’re dedicating your time. At college you can go party, you can be studying but you’re allocating time every day to go train.
“It’s a cool aspect of it because everybody is there on their own time so you know they want to be there.
“The first taste of the comradery with all the guys at any level, it’s an awesome feeling to have 15 guys on a field working together towards one common goal. That really appealed to me personally. I’ve been a massive competitor my whole life, so they offered that opportunity for me at school.”
Depperschmidt finished graduate school in Spring of 2018 before moving to a small town in New Zealand to play rugby and travel ahead of a career in what was looking like engineering.
After playing a club rugby season while in Matamata, he returned to the United States with an opportunity to take his game to the next level.
“I wanted to go over there, I wanted to travel. I figured it was the last time before I started working a big boy job that I’d be able to explore a little bit and play some footy over there.
“Went over there for about four months and played a season over there, came back in August of 2018 and the coach of the USA South team hinted that I should go and do this tryout in New Orleans for NOLA Gold.”
After being selected for the NOLA Academy, the midfielder spent a season learning, practicing and playing, while training alongside the Major League Rugby squad once a week.
He was one of roughly a dozen players to be participating in the program as they worked tirelessly for higher honours.
“You had limited opportunities where you could be around the guys to still get a feel for the professional atmosphere while also putting in the extra work.
“Came to one full practice a week, tried to get as much information off the top-level guys that we have in the team like Con Foley and Scott Gale, Jean-Pierre Eloff and Carl Meyer.
“Just trying to pick their brains as much as possible because they have a wealth of experience and knowledge of the sport.”
After captaining the NOLA Gold Academy side last year, Depperschmidt was promoted to the first team in late 2019 as a “sign of good faith” from the General Manager.
The 26-year-old went on to feature in all but one of NOLA’s five matches in 2020, before the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
“Every day love being around the boys and it’s really just strictly love of the game and love of competition. I can work a nine to five job when I hit 35-40 years old.
“I know I have a lot more improvement to go, I’m nowhere near where I want to be as a finished product so hopefully it’s the beginning of a good career for me.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
10 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
40 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
10 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
40 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
40 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
51 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
40 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
40 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
40 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
40 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to comments