Major League Rugby (MLR), which represents the highest level of rugby competition in North America, has announced that Rugby FC Los Angeles (RFCLA) will be among the teams competing next year. Based at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson – currently also the home of LA Galaxy — the new team is, to all intents and purposes, relocating from Atlanta.
“We are excited to bring Major League Rugby back to Los Angeles,” said Pete Sickle, CEO of RFCLA in a statement. “Under the head coaching leadership of Steve Brett, RFCLA will serve as another incredible professional sports asset to the West Coast. We look forward to partnering with AEG and others to foster the growth of the game of rugby on a more elevated level in the Greater Los Angeles community.”
RFCLA, formerly known as Rugby ATL, was originally founded in 2019 by the Calloway family in Atlanta. The team’s relocation to Los Angeles comes following new ownership after the 2023 Season.
“Although the team may look different in a new city, we are honored to build off the incredible legacy of the Calloways while creating something special in Los Angeles,” said Sickle.
Just five years after it was announced that rugby would become a professional contest in the USA in November 2015, The City of Los Angeles threw its hat into the ring with the shockingly awfully-named "Giltinis." But despite an utterly atrocious name and logo, the team boasted an impressive squad, including Australian Wallaby internationals Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper.
The club won the MLR Shield in their inaugural season in 2021, defeating Rugby ATL from Atlanta, 31-17 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. However, not everything was above board.
Less than a month after the USA was awarded the 2031 Rugby World Cup in May 2022, both the Giltinis and the similarly silly sounding Austin Gilgronis, were disqualified from the league for breaches of rules surrounding the salary cap. Both teams were owned by an Australian entrepreneur, Adam Gilchrist, who built an international fitness empire and the Giltinis and Gilgronis were named after him and two types of ready-to-drink cocktails he intended to sell. Gilchrist has since been embroiled in a number of disputes regarding players and pay disputes.
That, it seemed, was it for any Los Angeles-based rugby aficionado. The only option was to drive south to San Diego and watch the Legion play. But around the time that Rugby World Cup was in full swing earlier this year in Paris, rumors among rugby fans began to circulate that Los Angeles would once again have an entry in the 2024 season.
And it seems our New Year’s wish has come true. Southern California — and that very much includes Santa Monica — has long been a hotbed for up and coming talent in US rugby. Here’s hoping the 2031 Rugby World Cup final is the USA Eagles v England.
The team roster has also been announced and will be made up of...
Forwards
Loosehead Prop (number 1) – Dane Zander, Conner Grindal and Lincoln Sii
Hooker (number 2) – Ben Strang, Bruce Kauika-Peterson
Tighthead Prop (number 3) – Alex Maughan, Conor Young, Alessandro Heaney
Locks (numbers 4 & 5) – Theo Vukanisovic, Reegan O'Gorman, Jurie Van Vurren, Matt Gelhaus, Liam Antrobus
Back Rows (numbers 6, 7 & 8) – Michael Amiras, Max Ketjijeko, Matt Heaton, Semi Kunatani, Jason Damm
Backs
Scrum Half (number 9) – Niall Saunders, Tasman Smith
Fly Half (number 10) – Dan Hollinshead, Sam Walsh, Matt Anticev, Jordan Chait
Center (number 11) – James Stokes, Seth Purdy, Jason Emery
Outside Backs (numbers, 12, 13, 14 & 15) – Jack Shaw, Will Leonard, Austin White, Caleb Strum, Nicholas Hartley, Rory Van Vugt, Andrew Cow
Head Coach – Steve Brett
For more details and information regarding season tickets visit rugbyfcla.com and the first game isn't slated until March 1, 2024, according to the MLR schedule, where RFCLA will take on the Utah Warriors at home in Los Angeles.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
