LA Giltinis

LA Giltinis
Founded	May 28, 2020
Ground(s)	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum/SoFi Stadium (Capacity: 77,500/70,240)
CEO	Adam Gilchrist
Coach(es)	Stephen Hoiles
Captain(s)	Dave Dennis
League(s)	Major League Rugby
2022	2nd (Western Conference)
Official website
	giltinis.com
	Current season

The LA Giltinis are a Major League Rugby team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. The team was announced in 2020 and entered the league in the 2021 season as an expansion franchise. The Giltinis, named for a yet-to-be-released cocktail, are owned by Adam Gilchrist and Loyals Rugby.^[1] It is based in El Segundo, California and currently plays at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Darren Coleman was announced as the head coach.^[2]

History

A potential Los Angeles expansion bid for MLR, led by LA Coast Rugby, was announced in 2018 with plans for the team to enter the league in 2019.^[3] The team's bid was later replaced by a new proposal from Loyals Rugby, who were announced as the winners of the expansion team in 2020.^[1]^[2] The team, named for a cocktail like the Austin Gilgronis, began play in 2021.^[1] In its first season, the Giltinis posted a 12–4 record, hosted, and defeated Rugby ATL in the MLR final, winning the shield.

Stadium

The Giltinis play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a multi-use stadium in Exposition Park, Los Angeles.^[4]

Sponsorship

Season	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor
2021–present	Paladin Sports	None

Roster

The LA Giltinis squad for the 2022 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.

Player	Position	Union
Lindsey Stevens	Hooker	Canada
Joe Taufeteʻe	Hooker	United States
Andrew Tuala	Hooker	Samoa
Charlie Abel	Prop	Australia
Fred Apulu	Prop	Samoa
Marco Fepulea'i	Prop	Samoa
Leslie Leuluaʻialiʻi-Makin	Prop	Australia
Djustice Sears-Duru	Prop	Canada
Nathan Den Hoedt	Lock	Australia
Dave Dennis (c)	Lock	Australia
Sam Peri	Lock	United States
Corey Thomas	Lock	Canada
Luke White*	Lock	Australia
Adam Ashe	Back row	Scotland
Zach Bonte	Back row	United States
Cyrille Cama	Back row	United States
Angus Cottrell	Back row	Australia
Hanco Germishuys	Back row	United States
Langilangi Haupeakui	Back row	United States
Christian Poidevin	Back row	Australia

Player	Position	Union
Harrison Goddard	Scrum-half	Australia
Cristian Rodriguez	Scrum-half	United States
Tas Smith	Scrum-half	United States
Orene Ai'i	Fly-half	New Zealand
Luke Carty	Fly-half	United States
Matt Giteau	Fly-half	Australia
Luke Burton	Centre	Australia
Will Chambers	Centre	Australia
Ben LeSage	Centre	Canada
Bill Meakes	Centre	Australia
Adam Channel	Wing	United States
Brooklyn Hardaker	Wing	Australia
Ryan James	Wing	United States
Kahanu Koi	Wing	United States
D'Montae Noble	Wing	United States
John Ryberg	Wing	United States
D. T. H. van der Merwe	Wing	Canada
Tom Mitchell	Fullback	England
Jordan Trainor	Fullback	New Zealand

Senior 15s 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

Darren Coleman (2021)
Stephen Hoiles (2021–present)

Assistant coaches

Orene Ai’i (Backs, 2021–present)
Adam Ashley-Cooper (Backs, 2022)^[6]
Dave Dennis (Forwards, 2022)^[7]

Captains

Dave Dennis (2021–present)

Records

LA Giltinis won the Major League Rugby Championship Shield in their inaugural season (2021).

Season standings

Year	Pos	Pld	W	D	L	F	A	+/−	BP	Pts	Playoff results
2021	1st	16	12	0	4	545	305	+240	11	63	Won West Conference Final (Utah Warriors) 17–13 Won Major League Rugby Final (Rugby ATL) 31-17
2022	2nd	16	11	0	5	468	340	+128	11	57	Disqualified

Honors

Major League Rugby
- Champions: 2021
- Playoff appearances: 2021

2021 season

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
March 20	New England Free Jacks	Home	Won, 42–27
March 28	Seattle Seawolves	Home	Won, 57–26
April 10	Toronto Arrows	Away	Won, 43–16
April 17	Houston SaberCats	Away	Won, 48-33
April 24	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 45-17
May 1	Old Glory DC	Home	Won, 47-17
May 8	Rugby United New York	Away	Lost, 16-18
May 15	Utah Warriors	Home	Won, 38-27
May 19	Austin Gilgronis	Away	Won, 17-3
May 29	Rugby ATL	Away	Lost, 12-17
June 13	Houston SaberCats	Home	Won, 52-5
June 20	San Diego Legion	Away	Won, 19-13
June 27	Seattle Seawolves	Away	Won, 29-14
July 4	New Orleans Gold	Home	Lost, 20-21
July 10	Austin Gilgronis	Home	Won, 31-17
July 17	Utah Warriors	Away	Lost, 29-34

Post season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
July 25	Utah Warriors	Home	Won, 17-13
August 1	Rugby ATL	Home	Won, 31-17

2022 season

Regular season

Date	Opponent	Home/Away	Result
February 5	Houston SaberCats	Away	Lost, 11-21
February 11	Toronto Arrows	Away	Won, 31-16
February 27	New England Free Jacks	Home	Won, 19-15
March 5	Austin Gilgronis	Home	Lost, 9-22
March 13	Utah Warriors	Home	Lost, 19-28
March 19	San Diego Legion	Home	Won, 26-13
March 26	Seattle Seawolves	Away	Won, 31-12
April 3	Dallas Jackals	Away	Won, 47-7
April 10	Rugby United New York	Away	Won, 43-0
April 16	Houston SaberCats	Away	Won, 17-12
April 30	Rugby ATL	Home	Won 31-19
May 8	Austin Gilgronis	Home	Won, 10-8
May 15	San Diego Legion	Home	Lost, 27-31
May 21	Dallas Jackals	Home	Won, 56-12
May 28	Utah Warriors	Home	Won, 39-32
June 5	Seattle Seawolves	Away	Lost, 27-35

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Pengelly, Martin (June 1, 2020). "Major League Rugby announces LA Giltinis, second team named for a drink". The Guardian. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Major League Rugby Officially Welcomes the LA Giltinis" (Press release). Major League Rugby. May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
^ Carroll, Rory (July 11, 2018). "Los Angeles to get professional rugby team in 2019". Reuters. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
^ "Meet The Giltinis: LA's New Rugby Team to Open Play At Coliseum March 20". CBS Los Angeles. February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
^ "LA Giltinis". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
^ "MLR Champion Adam Ashley-Cooper Swoops into Coaching Role".
^ "Giltinis unveil new look Rugby and Commercial departments for 2022".

External links

Official website

Template:LA Giltinis squad

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[Guardian-2020-1] Pengelly, Martin (June 1, 2020). "Major League Rugby announces LA Giltinis, second team named for a drink". The Guardian. Retrieved March 15, 2021.

[MLR-2020-2] "Major League Rugby Officially Welcomes the LA Giltinis" (Press release). Major League Rugby. May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.

[3] Carroll, Rory (July 11, 2018). "Los Angeles to get professional rugby team in 2019". Reuters. Retrieved March 15, 2021.

[4] "Meet The Giltinis: LA's New Rugby Team to Open Play At Coliseum March 20". CBS Los Angeles. February 27, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.

[LA_Giltinis-5] "LA Giltinis". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved 11 December 2021.

[6] "MLR Champion Adam Ashley-Cooper Swoops into Coaching Role".

[7] "Giltinis unveil new look Rugby and Commercial departments for 2022".

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v t e LA Giltinis
Founded 2020 Based in El Segundo, California
Venues	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (2021-present)
People	Captains Current squad Head coaches
Seasons	2021 2022
Final appearances	(1) 2021
Championships	(1) 2021

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