Founded in 2017 with it’s inaugural season played in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) is the highest level of professional rugby in North America.
Australian born, USA Eligible Number 8 Matt Trouville represented the Houston SaberCats in Major League Rugby from 2018-2019. He captained the Cats 15 times, including for the majority of the 2019 season. Trouville is a capped USA Eagle, earning 5 caps prior to MLR’s inception, between 2014 & 2015. During the 2022 MLR season, Trouville was a regular sideline correspondent for Seattle Seawolves home games.
NARDB Player #9
California Native and crossover athlete Chris Coyle represented the Houston SaberCats in Major League Rugby from 2018-2019. A former Arizona State tight end, Coyle was recruited by the Houston Texans as an undrafted Free Agent, but was dropped due to an injury. Coyle featured in the first game in MLR history, coming off the bench for the SaberCats against NOLA Gold at Dyer Stadium.
NARDB Player #8
Saskatchewan native Hubert Buydens played in Major League Rugby from 2018-2019, representing NOLA Gold. He was a starter for NOLA in MLR’s first ever game in 2018, against the Houston SaberCats. He retired in 2020, ending a stellar career that saw him earning 58 caps for Canada including at the 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cups.
NARDB Player #7
Jean-Pierre Eloff is a South African born, American fullback/fly-half who has represented NOLA Gold since MLR’s inaugural competition in 2018. He started at centre in Major League Rugby’s first ever game in April 2018, a 26-35 away win for NOLA against the Houston SaberCats. As of the conclusion of the 2022 MLR season, Eloff was NOLA’s all-time top scorer, with 219pts in his 36 MLR Caps. He is one of the few MLR players to have scored a drop-goal in the competition.
Eloff achieved two seasons with over 1,000m gained, including a PB of 1,348m in 2019 when he finished with the 5th highest total in the league.
MLR Honours:
NARDB #6
Fijian Sevens legend Osea Kolinisau played in MLR from 2018-2021. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2018-2020) and Old Glory DC (2021). Kolinisau is the most capped player in Fijian Sevens history, and captained the side to Fiji’s first ever Olympic Gold Medal in 2016.
Kolinisau started all of his 26 MLR Caps, scoring 9 tries and 50pts across his 4 seasons in the competition to go with his 1000+pts for Fiji Sevens in his 250+ appearances. He is one of the few MLR players to have scored a drop goal in the competition and has the honour of having scored the first try in Major league Rugby history, in 2018.
NARDB Player #5
The New Orleans (NOLA) Gold were founded in 2017 as a founding member of Major League Rugby and they have competed in every season of MLR to date, 2018-2024. NOLA Gold was owned by founder Tim Falcon, the owner of Falcon Law Firm and from 2020, French Top 14 side ASM Clermont Auvergne owned a minority stake of the team. NOLA Gold took part in the first ever MLR game, a 26-35 away victory against the Houston SaberCats.
The NOLA Gold had the unenvious record of having the longest postseason drought in MLR history, not qualifying for the Championship Series until 2024. They missed out by 2pts in 2021, and by just 1pt in 2019, prior to the introduction of the Conference system. For the 2024 season, MLR announced the expansion of the Championship Series from 6 teams to 8, meaning that 66% of the league will qualify for the post-season. Finishing 2nd in the Eastern Conference with a record of 10-6, the NOLA Gold finally ended their post-season drought and qualified for their first Playoffs in 2024. As the higher seeded team, the Gold hosted the Chicago Hounds (also in their first ever playoff game) in the Eastern Conference Semifinal, where they fell 21-45. With inconsistent performances haunting their 2023 & 2024 seasons. Despite a first post-season qualification and arguably best-ever regular season, NOLA Gold announced that they were parting ways with Head Coach Cory Brown after only 1 season. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Gold announced an influx of French investment and the appointment of Alexandre Maumont as CEO and Denton Hunter as Chief Revenue Officer. NARDB understands that investor Thierry Daupin is involved in the team. Daupin was previously involved in the Austin Elite side, pulling out in 2020 that forced MLR to persuade Adam Gilchrist to take over the Austin franchise, renaming it the Gilgronis.
For the 2025 Campaign, the NOLA Gold hired outgoing Chicago Hounds head Coach Danny Lee to lead an impressive squad. Despite arguably the strongest roster fielded by the Gold on paper, they struggled during the 2025 season. They finished 5th in the Eastern Conference with a 4-12 record that included both a 5-game and 6-game losing streak. The Gold ended with 32pts, 9 back of the Miami Sharks. This left them on the outside of the MLR playoff picture once again.
Despite Maumont’s encouraging End-of-Season Statement regarding the growth of the team, in late July 2025 rumors began to circulate in MLR circles about a number of teams that may be withdrawing from MLR ahead of the 2026 season. On 29th July 2025, MLR Weekly posted on X: ‘It is looking like NOLA Gold will not be in the league in 2026, according to Rugby Wrap Up sources.’ NARDB understands that a players meeting was held on 30th July, 2025, when they were informed that the team would not participate in the 2026 season. The reason given was that the business model was not working. The official announcement came later that day, with all contracts terminated and all players becoming free agents. Later that day, the NOLA Gold posted a statement on their website confirming that they do not intend to participate in the 2026 season. This is a surprise to many, given that the Gold received an influx of new investment from France following the 2024 season. These investors likely know the financial state of MLR and that it is a long term investment, so to withdraw after 1yr is interesting. Additionally, there were reports of the Gold moving on from their arena at the Gold Mine, eyeing a newly renovated stadium that would be ready in 2027. This has fueled other rumours that the Gold may withdraw for 2026, and return in their new stadium for the 2027 season.
Top Scorer: JP Eloff (219pts)
Top Try Scorer: Pat O’Toole (17)
Top Playoff Scorer: Rodney Iona (6pts)
Top Tackler: Moni Tonga’uiha (912)
Top Meter Eater: JP du Plessis (4,530m)
Most Capped Player: Moni Tonga’uiha (102)
Most Starts: Moni Tonga’uiha (81)
Top Scorer: JP Eloff (141pts) – 2019
Top Try Scorer: Tristan Blewett (12) – 2019
Top Tackler:Jonah Mau’u (181) – 2025
Top Meter Eater: JP du Plessis (1,533m) – 2022
2018: 3-0-5 (-82) – 17pts: 6th
2019: 9-0-7 (+60) – 54pts: 5th
2020: 3-0-2 (+33) – 16pts: 3rd in Eastern Conference
2021: 10-1-5 (-3) – 51pts: 3rd in Eastern Conference
2022: 4-0-12 (-159) – 25pts: 5th in Eastern Conference
2023: 7-0-9 (-96) – 35pts: 4th in Eastern Conference
2024: 10-0-6 (+61) – 50pts: 2nd in Eastern Conference (Conference Semifinalist)
2025: 4-0-12 (-45) – 32pts: 5th in Eastern Conference
Overall Regular Season Record: 50-1-58
Overall Championship Series Record: 0-1
Championship Series Appearances: 1 (2024)
Total Possessions: 3
Longest Streak: 1 Game
First Possession: 2018 – Rd 1
Last Possession: 2025 – Rd 12
Successful Challenges: 3
Failed Challenges: 12
Challenge Success Rate: 20.00%
Successful Defences: 0
Failed Defences: 3
Defence Success Rate: 0.00%
The NOLA Gold logo barely changed at all since the founding of the club in 2017. It depicts a shield divided into quarters of Gold & White, with ‘NOLA’ written across the quarters. Atop the shield logo is a golden crown which has changed very slightly through the years. There have been minor variations to this logo, with a recurring one being Mardi Gras beads hanging from the crown (see above).
In 2018, the NOLA Gold jerseys were primarily gold with faded hoops for home, and primarily white with faded gold accents. Since 2019, the Gold have always had at least one jersey divided into quarters (similar to their logo) and coloured with alternating Gold and black or white sections. For many seasons the Gold also had a special Mardi Gras jersey that was alternating hoops of the traditional purple, green, and gold. In 2024, this Mardi Gras jersey, which was always very popular, became the Gold’s regular away jersey.
For their first two seasons in MLR (2018-2019), the NOLA Gold played their home games out of Joe Zimmerman Stadium at Archbishop Shaw High School a 3,000 capacity natural turf field that was branded as ‘Gold Stadium’. For the 2020 season and beyond, the Gold moved homes to the Gold Mine on Airline (formerly Shrine on Airline, or Zephyr Field), a 10,000 seater Baseball stadium in Metairie, Louisiana owned by the State of Louisiana. The Gold had been the only tenants of the Stadium since 2020, perhaps allowing for the ‘Gold Mine’ name.
A list of current, active Utah Warriors players and their stats for the current season.
A list of current, active Seattle Seawolves players and the stats they have recorded during the current season.
A list of current, active Old Glory DC players and the stats earned during the current MLR season.
A list of current, active Houston SaberCats players and the stats earned during the current MLR season.
