Sam Windsor and Robbie Coleman headline a Canberra flavour in Major League Rugby in the USA

But where did he finally find some solid ground and, if things go according to plan, set himself up for potential international duties? Houston. Seriously.

The former Queanbeyan Whites playmaker and ACT Brumbies hopeful is part of a rugby union revolution in the United States, which has a distinct Canberra flavour.

Windsor plays for the Houston SaberCats in Major League Rugby. He helped recruit former Brumbies scrumhalf DeWet Roos for next season.

Robbie Coleman is a few hundred miles down the road in New Orleans after signing a deal for 2020 to join Uni-Norths Owls junior Nick Feakes in a team coached by Nathan Osborne, who has been a driving force for American rugby.

Then there's ex-All Blacks Ma'a Nonu, Rene Ranger, former Wallaby Digby Ioane, France's Mathieu Bastareaud and World Cup-winner Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira at other clubs.

"It feels like years ago I was playing for Queanbeyan and in the Brumbies set up, but I never thought about coming here," Windsor said.

"If you told me I'd be playing professional rugby in Texas, I would have laughed you out the door.

"The league is going super fast. It was slow to start, seven teams in year one and the level wasn't that great.

"Now it's up to 12 teams and the big names are coming. There's some interest and sure some of those internationals are at the later end of their careers.

"But it's a great opportunity for someone like me, who flirted with the professional game, to get that experience. And this isn't rugby for slouches, the standard keeps improving."

Windsor and the SaberCats will play in a $12 million purpose-built stadium when the season begins in February.

Organisers have strategically timed the season to avoid clashing with the NFL beast, with round one to start this weekend.

There is also a "super weekend" in Las Vegas, where all teams converge on Sin City for two days of non-stop rugby.

There's extra motivation for Windsor in the 2020 campaign as well. He has spent the past three years in the US, making him eligible for the national team should be selected.

The 32-year-old started his career at Queanbeyan and forced his way into Brumbies training squads, but he couldn't get a crack at Super Rugby.

It forced him to look elsewhere, leading him to Europe for stints at Leinster, Worcester and Ulster where he got a taste of professional rugby.

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But he the grind of being a fringe player took its toll and drained Windsor of his love of the game.

"I wasn't loving it, my partner is American so we decided to move back home for her," Windsor said.

"It's probably on the same level as minor league baseball over here. The aim for the league is to increase the quality of American players and really lift the standard.

"Being able to compete again ... it just brought that love back. The excitement of being part of a new league from day one ... I'm pretty driven to make sure we do well in Houston.

"We had 5500 people at our first exhibition game, I want to be here when I see it succeed and the team succeed. The competitive nature has come back."

Coleman has signed a three-year deal at New Orleans after searching for a new rugby home.

The Queanbeyan junior and former Brumbies flyer moved to the Western Force just before the club was axed from Super Rugby and has been playing in Sydney since.

He will link up with Feakes, who won rookie of the year in his first season with New Orleans and created Major League Rugby history when he became the first player to score a hat-trick in the 2019 campaign.

"The league probably lacked a bit of professionalism in the first couple of years, maybe guys were coming for a party," Windsor said.

"But you can see that has changed now. When I came here in 2017 I was in an office with four people. Now we've got a 12-team competition, a staff of 50 and a squad of 35. Things are moving pretty quick, hopefully we can win a championship in Houston.

"If the body holds up and I'm playing well enough, maybe I can creep into an international squad. Why not? That's a carrot there dangling for me."