NOLA Gold

background & History

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 is owned by founder Tim Falcon, the owner of Falcon Law Firm and since 2020, French Top 14 side ASM Clermont Auvergne have 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 have the unenvious record of having the longest postseason drought in MLR history, having never qualified for the Championship Series in 6 seasons. 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, the Gold will be looking to return to the post season in 2025 and make a deep run for the Shield. 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.


records & Record Holders

all time

Top Scorer: JP Eloff (219pts)
Top Try Scorer: Pat O’Toole, Eric Howard, Cam Dolan (15)
Top Playoff Scorer: Rodney Iona (6pts)
Top Tackler:
Moni Tonga’uiha (789)
Top Meter Eater:
Moni Tonga’uiha (4,157m)
Most Capped Player: Moni Tonga’uiha (88)
Most Starts: Moni Tonga’uiha (70)

single season

Top Scorer: JP Eloff (141pts) – 2019
Top Try Scorer: Tristan Blewett (12) – 2019
Top Tackler:JP du Plessis (178)
Top Meter Eater: JP du Plessis (1,533m) – 2022

historical performance

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)

Overall Regular Season Record: 46-1-46
Overall Championship Series Record: 0-1
Championship Series Appearances: 1 (2024)


Head Coach & Captain

head coach
captain

logo & Jersey

NOLA rugby
2018-Present
Mardi-Grad Variant

The NOLA Gold logo has 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.

venue

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 have been the only tenants of the Stadium since 2020, perhaps allowing for the ‘Gold Mine’ name.

Gold Mine on Airline

Active Gold Players

PlayerPositionGPGSTMGTacklesKS/KAPts
Abe TurpenFlanker0000000
Aidan KingFlanker0000000
Alex LopetiHooker, Prop0000000
Bart VermeulenProp0000000
Caleb MakeneFly-half, Fullback0000000
Callum BotcharFlanker, Lock0000000
Cam DolanFlanker, Lock, Number 80000000
Chase JonesFlanker, Lock0000000
Cian DarlingFlanker, Number 80000000
Cooper CoatsFly-half, Fullback0000000
Dalton MusselmanFly-half0000000
Damien StevensScrum-half0000000
Dorian JonesFly-half0000000
Ed FidowWing0000000
Harley WheelerWing0000000
Isaac SalmonProp0000000
Isaac Te TamakiCentre0000000
JP du PlessisCentre0000000
Jack WebsterCentre, Fullback, Wing0000000
James ‘Doc’ IreyProp0000000
Jarred AdamsProp0000000
Joe Taufete’eHooker, Prop0000000
Jonah Mau’uFlanker, Number 80000000
Julian RobertsCentre, Fly-half0000000
Kaden DuguidLock0000000
Kélian GalletierFlanker, Number 80000000
Luke CampbellScrum-half0000000
Luke CartyFly-half0000000
Malcolm MayFlanker0000000
Matt HarmonProp0000000
Moni Tonga’uihaFlanker0000000
Nikolai FoliakiCentre0000000
Osaiasi Tonga’uihaCentre, Flanker, Number 80000000
Pat O’TooleHooker0000000
Paul MullenProp0000000
Reece BothaCentre, Fly-half0000000
Ross DepperschmidtCentre0000000
Ruben de HaasScrum-half0000000
Tupou Ma’afu AfungiaNumber 80000000
Tyler MatchemProp0000000
Vilimone KoroiFly-half, Fullback, Wing0000000
William WaguespackLock0000000
Xavier MignotWing0000000

All Gold Players

PlayerPositionGPGSTCPACDGMGTacklesKS/KAPts
Aaron MatthewsCentre1784000071986020
Abe TurpenFlanker00000000000
Aidan KingFlanker00000000000
Alec JanotkaHooker200000042300
Alex LopetiHooker, Prop24230010393136017
Alex MaughanHooker, Prop3200000152400
Amro GoudaHooker600000062100
Andrew GuerraFlanker, Number 812111001046817407
Ani MtetoFullback00000000000
Anthony ParryProp3000000982200
Augusto BöhmeHooker982000019251010
Bart VermeulenProp5000000911300
Ben TarrProp21161000018311605
Billy StewartLock5838200001417455010
Bobby Johns85000002783100
Brennan FalconFlanker52000001284500
Brian NaultProp2080000019211000
Cael HodgsonCentre, Wing65100001793305
Caleb MakeneFly-half, Fullback00000000000
Caleb MeyerFlanker200000017600
Callum BotcharFlanker, Lock16920000187105010
Cam DolanFlanker, Lock, Number 869651500002258534075
Cam FalconHooker2951000058515905
Cameron TroxlerFullback523000014232015
Carl MeyerFullback2222629283018115357178
Chad JosephFlanker, Number 843000001243500
Chase JonesFlanker, Lock00000000000
Chase Schor-HaskinFlanker, Number 81000000181000
Christian AlvarezScrum-half20000007200
Cian DarlingFlanker, Number 800000000000
Con FoleyCentre2121300001033205015
Cooper CoatsFly-half, Fullback00000000000
Dalton MusselmanFly-half00000000000
Damien StevensScrum-half472661810104711112898
Derrek van KleinProp7100000653200
Devereaux FerrisScrum-half14300000711600
Devin ShortFlanker3124300101325282017
Diego FortunyHooker2020010364012
Dino WaldrenProp462860010618295032
Domingo SaavedraCentre00000000000
Dorian JonesFly-half5519500215361438
Dougie FifeCentre, Fullback, Wing262520000129571010
Ed FidowWing775000053433025
Eric HowardHooker55391500001237442075
Fintan ColemanFlanker101000001043800
Gabriel Mahu’ingaHooker00000000000
George SharpeHooker510000042100
Giovanni LappFlanker5200000262400
Hanno DirksenWing1392000084352010
Harley WheelerWing3426800101564146042
Holden YungertScrum-half433724100604230521
Hubert BuydensProp232120000423157010
Ignacio DottiLock3629400001025272020
Isaac SalmonProp10800000875300
Isaac Te TamakiCentre00000000000
JP EloffFly-half, Fullback36328582001278113779219
JP du PlessisCentre58561100104145550057
Jack WebsterCentre, Fullback, Wing165100003294305
James ‘Doc’ IreyProp254000002397900
James VaifaleWing00000000000
Jarred AdamsProp292120000839132010
Joe Taufete’eHooker, Prop00000000000
Joeli TikoisuvaWing30191100201228117059
Joey SokWing211000036605
John SullivanProp311130010411180017
Jonah Mau’uFlanker, Number 8121260010834134032
Jordan Jackson-HopeCentre, Fly-half2525820101723238246
Jordan TrainorFullback10922000104438214
Juan CappielloCentre3028400101519225022
Julian RobertsCentre, Fly-half1142000035318010
Julián DomínguezWing1919110000135269055
Kaden DuguidLock00000000000
Kane ThompsonLock22150000045114600
Kavika PeniataProp710000070700
Kenny JinkinsWing610000071900
Kevin O’ConnorFlanker122000001085300
Kevin SullivanProp5918400001181306020
Kyle BaillieLock20201000061915105
Kyle RogersFullback179100002896205
Kélian GalletierFlanker, Number 800000000000
Liam Hallam-EamesLock1111000002577500
Lindsey StevensHooker3110000411505
Lockie KratzCentre64000002211500
Luke CampbellScrum-half272451010598133129
Luke CartyFly-half00000000000
Maciu KoroiNumber 833730000729187015
Malcolm MayFlanker5740600001215436030
Mason BriantHooker10000000200
Matt HarmonProp73451000086043105
Matt HughstonFlanker883000042292015
Matt WirkenLock6500000843000
Melvin DeSouzaWing10000000000
Michael BaskaFullback, Scrum-half, Wing1962200041853214
Moni Tonga’uihaFlanker88701100204157789059
Myles McQuoneLock500000014800
Nate AugspurgerScrum-half, Wing00000000000
Nick FeakesFly-half, Fullback, Wing3221921001610152352
Nikola BursicFlanker, Lock302250000997254025
Nikolai FoliakiCentre00000000000
OJ NoaFlanker, Number 899100005227005
Osaiasi Tonga’uihaCentre, Flanker, Number 8182000002355700
Pat O’TooleHooker49371500101369329077
Paul MullenProp00000000000
Peceli RinakamaWing842000010335010
Penalty Try141414419000099
Reece BothaCentre, Fly-half2310317600428662367
Robbie ColemanFly-half212110000120711705
Rodney IonaCentre, Fly-half23234271800124813545128
Rory EdwardsScrum-half10000000000
Ross DaviesProp11000008300
Ross DepperschmidtCentre462650000905191025
Ruben de HaasScrum-half00000000000
Sam BuckleyProp00000000000
Sam KlimkowskiProp4100000271600
Scott Gale171733000470110321
Sean ParanihiProp18160000017011100
Sebastiano VillaniScrum-half9100000621600
Sebastián KalmNumber 8221000039805
Shawn RileyWing4200000431300
Tadhg LeaderFly-half100000011000
Taniela FilimoneCentre, Wing17171100001071101055
Taylor HowdenCentre211654100662122536
Taylor KrumreiLock5400000703600
Tim MaupinCentre, Wing2725600001461121030
Timothée GuilliminFly-half14120500037774510
Todd DupreFlanker20000007300
Tom FlorenceFlanker141450020780134029
Tony LambornFlanker1120000419010
Trent RogersProp30000002900
Tristan BlewettCentre, Fullback, Wing15151200001349151060
Tupou Ma’afu AfungiaNumber 800000000000
Tyler MatchemProp00000000000
Vilimone KoroiFly-half, Fullback, Wing00000000000
Vince Jobo10000000300
Vita MakasiniScrum-half3000000451100
William WaguespackLock46201000060822305
Xavier MignotWing00000000000
Zach StryffelerCentre, Flanker211720000639258010