Randalstown man makes dream come true after winning Rugby World Cup qualification with Zimbabwe
Bruce Houston, 25, has had a peripatetic early career that has taken in from Ulster to north-east France and now has the prospect of playing on the biggest rugby stage of all
Bruce Houston definitely has rugby in his roots. His late Grandfather Maurice, like Bruce, had played all over, from Ulster Juniors to Waikato in New Zealand.
Then moving to Zimbabwe to farm and settle down to have a family, including his mum where Bruce qualifies to play for the nation
It's a special place for his family, and the 25-year-old was able to pay the ultimate tribute to his ‘Papa’ by helping Zimbabwe qualify for the World Cup for just the third time in their history.
Pushed, quite literally, onto a pitch at Randalstown Rugby Club at a young age, onlookers wouldn’t have expected the child to finish the session he was taking part in, never mind go on to become an international rugby player.
Bruce’s story is one of fortunate circumstance but also resilience. From being pushed onto a rugby pitch at a young age to find his dream career to working long hours in a manual labour job in South Down after being released from Ulster Rugby in 2021
He was never one for overthinking things, but when his dreams of playing for Ulster ended after one appearance, he really did have to reassess his options.
Acting as his own agent he tirelessly looked for new clubs messaging every French, Italian, American and Scottish club and coach he could get in contact with.
Eventually his luck turned as he joined Heriot Rugby club in the centre of Edinburgh in the Scottish Premiership.
A spectacular drop goal against city rivals early on put him on the Edinburgh Rugby radar and he was offered to train with the club for the rest of that 2021-2022 season. A chance to get back on the professional grid again.
Training would lead to a partnership deal with the club for 2022/23 before he left to pursue more regular playing opportunities.
Bruce speaks about Edinburgh with great admiration, especially for former teammate British and Irish Lion Blair Kinghorn saying: “He was someone who had a huge impact on my career without probably knowing.”
Moving to the Cornish Pirates, Bruce prospered. 46 games, 277 points and 2 great years later he is a different man and a different player.
He hails former coach Gavin Cattle for helping develop his people skills which allowed him to become a leader for the English Championship side. Skills he now looks to take into his new team in France.
In January 2025, after a quiet couple of drinks with close friend and Pirates teammate Matt McNabb, Bruce joked that he was qualified through his mother to play for Zimbabwe.
McNabb who was an established player for the Sables, then offered to give Bruce the national team coaches phone number.
After months of keeping in touch, the Zimbabwean national coach Pieter Benade was keen to get Houston involved in the Sables set up for the Rugby Africa Cup, with Rugby World Cup qualification on the line.
After much deliberation Bruce decided it was an opportunity too good to turn down.
Two flights and a chaotic couple of days later he made his way to Uganda to join the squad at the semi-final stage where he was an unused substitute in their win over Kenya.
The final was an emotional day for Bruce and his teammates, and he described being in tears as the team bus arrived at the stadium as he thought about his late grandfather.
“I was very emotional the whole time I was there, I was just thinking I would do anything for Papa to see this,” he said.
He was brought on in the second half to make his international debut as the Sables made history winning 30-28.
A dream of qualifying for the World Cup achieved and a life goal of playing at a Rugby World Cup in two years on the horizon.
Bruce “burst out crying” as he was reunited with his mum. The emotion of realising a professional dream alongside paying homage to his Zimbabwean roots and his grandfather
That young lad pushed onto a rugby pitch by his mum, now making it to the world stage where he may have the chance to play against rugby heroes Beaden Barrett and Finn Russell.
As he plies his trade in France for the next two years. Bruce will desperately want to follow through on that dream in Australia in 2027 where he will look to help the Zimbabwe Sables make more history and win their first Rugby World Cup game.