Hanco Germishuys was born on August 24, 1996, in
South Africa.[2] There, he began playing rugby at a young age and attended school in
Newton.[3] Germishuys relocated to the United States with his father in 2004 and attended
Westside High School in
Omaha, Nebraska.[2] Germishuys played club rugby for West Omaha and was selected to a Nebraska All-Star team.[2] In late 2014, Germishuys joined the
Gloucester Academy, scoring a try in his second appearance for the U18 squad.[4] In June 2015, Germishuys also spent four weeks with the
Sharks Academy.[3] Germishuys joined the
Glendale Raptors (since renamed the Glendale Merlins) midway through the 2015 season,[5] winning that season's Pacific Rugby Premiership championship.[6]
Club career
Denver Stampede
Ahead of PRO Rugby's
inaugural season in 2016, Germishuys joined the Denver Stampede.[7] Germishuys made his debut with the Stampede on May 15, 2016, starting at flanker and scoring two tries, in Denver's 36–13 victory over
Sacramento.[8] Germishuys scored six total tries for the Stampede across nine total appearances for the club.[9]
Prior to the
inaugural Major League Rugby season in 2018, Germishuys joined the Austin Elite in the newly formed league.[12] Germishuys made his debut for the Elite in the team's first regular season match on April 21, 2018, starting at flanker and scoring a try, in a 41–26 defeat to
Glendale.[13][14] Over just five appearances for the Elite during the season,[15] Germishuys scored six total tries, putting him in a tie for tenth place among league leaders in individual scoring[16] and a tie for second place among league leaders in individual tries scored.[17] At season's end, Germishuys was named to the All-MLR First Team at flanker.[17]
In March 2014, it was announced that Germishuys had been selected to the roster of the
United States men's national under-20 team (Junior All-Americans) for the
2014 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy.[18] At the time, Germishuys and teammate
Ben Cima were so young that they required waivers in order to be allowed to play in the tournament.[19] Germishuys also represented the Junior All-Americans in qualifying matches for the
2015 World Rugby Under 20 Trophy against
Canada.[20] Germishuys played in both matches of the
two-legged tie,[21][22] with the Junior All-Americans losing on an
aggregate score of 65–29.[22] Germishuys played for the Junior All-Americans for a third consecutive year in 2016, leading the team as
captain at the
2016 World Rugby Under 20 Trophy.[23] Germishuys led the team with eight total tries, including at least one in each of the Junior All-American's four matches,[24] and was named Player of the Tournament.[25]
Germishuys made his debut for the United States men's national team on February 27, 2016, coming on as a substitute, in the Eagles' 24–23 defeat to
Brazil in the
2016 Americas Rugby Championship.[29] On February 10, 2018, against
Canada in a 29–10 victory in the
2018 Americas Rugby Championship, Germishuys made his first start at flanker and scored his first try for the Eagles.[30] Since his debut in 2016, he has become a regular in the Eagles starting lineup and is known for his strength with the ball in hand and his strong tackling.[citation needed]