background and history
MLR’s first foray to Los Angeles dates back to 2018, when a MLR expansion bid was launched by Adam Gilchrist (founder of F45) and LA Coast Rugby, with plans to enter the league in 2019. This bid was later replaced by a bid between Gilchrist and Loyals Rugby in 2020 as the LA Giltinis, a team named after a to-be-announced cocktail entering in the 2021 season. ‘Giltini’ comes from a mix of the words ‘Gilchrist’ (the Team’s owner) and ‘Martini’. The Giltinis had a strong Australian identity (Gilchrist himself is also Australian) and brought in many professional players from Australia, as well as a number of domestic-classed players with Australian heritage. The team made a splash by announcing the signing of Wallabies legends Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper for their inaugural season, as well as a number of other high-profile players.
In their first season of competition in 2021, the Giltinis recorded a 12-0-4 record to finish 1st in the Western Conference, and advanced to the 2021 MLR Championship Final (hosted at the LA Coliseum, the home ground of the Giltinis) where they defeated a strong Rugby ATL side 31-17 to lift the MLR shield in their first season of competition. Following this season, Adam Ashley-Cooper announced an end to his playing career but stayed with the Giltinis on the coaching side. For the 2022 season, the Giltinis remained a strong outfit and finished with a 11-0-5 record and 2nd in the Western Conference, behind sister team the Austin Gilgronis (also owned by Gilchrist and following the same naming convention, but this time ‘Gilchrist’ and ‘Negroni’). However, prior to the start of the Championship Series, MLR announced that the LA Giltinis (along with the Austin Gilgronis) were disqualified from the 2022 playoffs due to a violation of league rules, allegedly including salary cap issues. In June of that year, Adam Gilchrist filed suit with MLR and both LA and Austin were expelled from the league in October 2022, after failed attempts to sell the teams.
MLR rugby would return to LA in 2024 following the sale and relocation of Rugby ATL, rebranded as Rugby FC LA.
records and record holders
2021 MLR Champions
all time
Top Scorer: Matt Giteau (98pts)
Top Try Scorer: Angus Cottrell (14)
Top Playoff Scorer: Matt Giteau (15pts)
Most Capped Player: Nathan den Hoedt (32)
Most Starts: Dave Dennis (30)
Top Tackler: Christian Poidevin (360)
Top Meter Eater: Billy Meakes (2,466m)
single season
Top Scorer: Matt Giteau (96pts) – 2021
Top Try Scorer: Angus Cottrell & DTH van der Merwe (11) – 2021
Top Tackler: Christian Poidevin (200) – 2022
Top Meter Eater: Billy Meakes (1,553m) – 2022
historical performance
2021: 12-0-4 (+240) – 63pts: 1st in Western Conference (Champions x1)
2022: 11-0-5 (+128) – 54pts: 2nd in Western Conference (Disqualified)
Overall Regular Season Record: 23-0-9
Overall Championship Series Record: 2-0
Championship Series Appearances: 1 (2021)
head coach & captain
head coach
- Darren Coleman (2021)
- Stephan Hoiles (2022)
captain
- Dave Dennis (2021-2022)
Logo & Jersey
The Giltinis logo resembles a martini glass with a ‘G’ motif inside. There were a couple of colour variations on this including a pink version, but the light blue was the most common version, used on the jerseys. The LA Giltinis jerseys were usually relatively plain, either a white with blue logo & number, or black with pink. There was a jersey in light blue as the logo on this page, as well as a version with palm leaves on a white background that invoked the beaches and sunshine of Los Angeles.
venue
The LA Giltinis were based in El Segundo, California and played their home games at the famous LA Coliseum, an enormous 77,500 seater monster that hosted the 1932 and 1984 Olympics, with plans to host again in 2028. It was also the home of the LA Rams of the NFL, prior to their move to SoFi Stadium which also hosted the LA Giltinis for a one-off MLR match.
