Professional rugby union team from New Orleans, Louisiana
Rugby team
The New Orleans Gold, stylized as NOLA Gold, is a professional rugby union team based in New Orleans. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby.[1] Since January 2020, French rugby power ASM Clermont Auvergne has owned a minority stake in the team.[2]
Home field
Gold Mine on Airline
The team plays at the Gold Mine on Airline, formerly known as the Shrine on Airline and Zephyr Field, in Metairie, Louisiana, on the East Bank of the New Orleans metropolitan area.[3]
Joe Zimmerman Stadium
For the first two seasons of Major League Rugby in 2018 and 2019, the team played at Joe Zimmerman Stadium at Archbishop Shaw High School under the branding of Gold Stadium. The natural turf field with grandstand seating for up to 3,000 people is located on the West Bank at Marrero, Louisiana.[4]
Broadcasts
Home games are shown on Cox Sports Television. Ian McNulty and Geoffrey Ormsby are the on air talent.
Sponsorship
For the 2022 season, NOLA Gold partnered with local Louisiana, Port Orleans Brewing Company to make "GOLDen Ale". These 16-ounce cans will be available for purchase in the brewery's tap room and on tap at the start of the season. It will also be sold throughout the season in the team's home stadium, the Shrine on Airline.[3]
Players and personnel
Current squad
The New Orleans Gold squad for the 2024 Major League Rugby season is:[5]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
- Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
- * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
- MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.
Head coaches
Assistant coaches
Kane Thompson, forwards and defense (2019–2021, 2024-)
Taylor Howden, backs (2022-)
Nicolas Godignon, scrum, breakdown & director of player pathway (2024-)
Carlos Spencer (2022)[9]
Captains
Records
Season standings
2018 season
Exhibitions
Regular season
2019 season
Exhibitions
Regular season
2020 season
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] One week later (March 19), MLR announced that it had canceled the rest of the 2020 season.[12]
Regular season
2021 season
Regular season
2022 season
Regular season
2023 season
Regular season
2024 season
NOLA Gold will play 16 games in the 2024 regular season. All eight home games will be played at the Gold Mine.
Regular season
Notes
References
- ^ "New Orleans Confirms Major League Rugby Plans". This is American Rugby. 2017-05-25. Archived from the original on 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
- ^ Williams, Bob (January 30, 2020). "Austin MLR team gains new name and owners, NOLA Gold partners with Clermont Auvergne". SportBusiness. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ a b Mackel, Travers (August 30, 2019). "When Baby Cakes leave, what happens to "Shrine On Airline?'". WDSU. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ "Archbishop Shaw High School Breaks Ground on New Stadium". wbbeacon.com. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "NOLA Gold". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
- ^ "Nate Osborne To Coach New Orleans Gold". DJ Coil Rugby. 2017-06-16. Archived from the original on 2017-10-19.
- ^ "NOLA Gold Names Kane Thompson as Head Coach".
- ^ "NOLA Gold hire Cory Brown as new Head Coach". Americas Rugby News. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
- ^ "Former All Black Carlos Spencer Joins NOLA Gold as Assistant Coach".
- ^ "Stars Rugby 7s on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-04-30.[user-generated source]
- ^ "Major League Rugby Suspends 2020 Season for 30 Days" (Press release). Major League Rugby. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
- ^ "Major League Rugby Has Decided to Cancel the Remainder of the 2020 Season and Turn Attention to 2021" (Press release). Major League Rugby. March 19, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
External links