New Orleans Gold
Professional rugby union team from New Orleans, Louisiana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New Orleans Gold (stylized as NOLA Gold) were an American professional rugby union team based in the New Orleans metropolitan area that competed in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team was founded in 2017.[1] Since January 2020, French rugby power ASM Clermont Auvergne has owned a minority stake in the team.[2] The team withdrew from competition at the end of the 2025 Major League Rugby season.
 | |||
| Founded | 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Disbanded | 2025 | ||
| Location | Metairie, Louisiana | ||
| Ground | Gold Mine on Airline (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
| Most caps | Moni Tongaʻuiha (102) | ||
| Top scorer | JP Eloff (219) | ||
| Most tries | Pat O'Toole (17) | ||
| League | Major League Rugby | ||
| 2025 | Eastern Conference: 5th Playoffs: DNQ | ||
| |||
| Official website | |||
| www | |||
Home field
Gold Mine on Airline
The team played at the Gold Mine on Airline, also known as the Shrine on Airline and was previously Zephyr Field, in Metairie, Louisiana, on the East Bank of the New Orleans metropolitan area.[3]
Joe Zimmerman Stadium
For the first two seasons of Major League Rugby in 2018 and 2019, the team played at Joe Zimmerman Stadium under the branding of Gold Stadium. The natural turf field with grandstand seating for up to 3,000 people is located on the West Bank at Marrero, Louisiana.[4]
Broadcasts
Home games were previously shown on Cox Sports Television. Ian McNulty and Geoffrey Ormsby are the on air talent.
In 2025, the Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network became the official broadcast network of the team.
Sponsorship
For the 2022 season, NOLA Gold partnered with local Louisiana, Port Orleans Brewing Company to make "GOLDen Ale". These 16-ounce cans will be available for purchase in the brewery's tap room and on tap at the start of the season. It will also be sold throughout the season in the team's home stadium, the Shrine on Airline.[3]
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | XBlades | None |
| 2019 | Louisiana Tourism | |
| 2020 | Paladin Sports | None |
| 2021 | None | |
| 2022 | Louisiana Tourism | |
| 2023 | LCMC Health | |
| 2024 | LCMC Health |
Players and personnel
Head coaches
Nate Osborne (2018–2021) [5]
Kane Thompson (2022–2023)[6]
Cory Brown (2024)[7]- Danny Lee (2025)
Assistant coaches
- Kane Thompson, forwards and defense (2019–2021, 2024-2025)
- Taylor Howden, backs (2022-2025)
- Todd Fitzgerald (2017-2025),Assistant GM/assistant head coach/assistant coach/Director of Player Personnel
Nicolas Godignon, scrum, breakdown- Carlos Spencer (2022)[8]
Captains
- Taylor Howden (2018)
- Eric Howard (2019–2020)
- Kyle Baillie (2021)
- Cam Dolan (2022–2025)
Records
Season standings
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
| 2018 | - | 6th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 209 | 291 | -82 | 5 | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2019 | - | 5th | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 463 | 403 | +60 | 17 | 53 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2020[a] | Eastern | 3rd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 135 | 102 | +33 | 4 | 16 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | Eastern | 3rd | 16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 375 | 378 | -3 | 9 | 51 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | Eastern | 5th | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 358 | 517 | -159 | 6 | 25 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2023 | Eastern | 4th | 16 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 339 | 435 | -96 | 6 | 35 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| 2024 | Eastern | 2nd | 16 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 410 | 349 | +61 | 10 | 50 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 45 | -24 | Lost Conference Semifinal (Chicago Hounds) 45–21 | |
| 2025 | Eastern | 5th | 16 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 428 | 473 | -45 | 16 | 32 | - | - | - | - | - | - | Did not qualify | |
| Totals | 109 | 50 | 1 | 58 | 2,717 | 2,948 | -231 | 67 | 244 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 postseason appearance | |||
2018 season
Exhibitions
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 20 | Capital Selects | Home | Won, 68–15 |
| February 24 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 30–12 |
| March 10 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Lost, 14–38 |
| March 28 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Draw, 32–32 |
| March 31 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 48–17 |
| April 7 | Austin Elite | Away | Won, 38–10 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 21 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 35–26 |
| May 3 | Austin Elite | Away | Lost, 17–30 |
| May 12 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Lost, 29–31 |
| May 19 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Won, 24–20 |
| May 27 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 26–55 |
| June 3 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Lost, 10–41 |
| June 9 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 22–39 |
| June 16 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 46–43 |
2019 season
Exhibitions
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 8, 2018 | USA South Panthers | Home | Won, 45–10 |
| December 15, 2018 | Stars Rugby[9] | Home | Won, 113–0 |
| January 5, 2019 | Midwest Selects | Home | Won, 74–0 |
| January 12, 2019 | Dallas Reds | Home | Won, 72–0 |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 26 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Won, 36-31 |
| February 2 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Won, 40-31 |
| February 10 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 41-31 |
| February 16 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 24–27 |
| March 2 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 21-19 |
| March 16 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 49-11 |
| March 23 | Austin Elite | Home | Won, 35–31 |
| March 30 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Lost, 33-34 |
| April 7 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Won, 35-31 |
| April 13 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 28-19 |
| April 21 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 24–25 |
| May 4 | Austin Elite | Away | Won, 26-14 |
| May 11 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 19–26 |
| May 18 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Lost, 20–27 |
| May 26 | Rugby United New York | Away | Lost, 22-24 |
| June 2 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 10-22 |
2020 season
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] One week later (March 19), MLR announced that it had canceled the rest of the 2020 season.[11]
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 8 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 46–13 |
| February 16 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 10–22 |
| February 22 | Colorado Raptors | Away | Won, 27–20 |
| February 29 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 21–25 |
| March 7 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Won, 31–22 |
| March 13 | Utah Warriors | Away | Postponed, later canceled |
| March 28 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Canceled |
| April 5 | Rugby ATL | Away | Canceled |
| April 11 | Old Glory DC | Away | Canceled |
| April 18 | Rugby United New York | Home | Canceled |
| April 25 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Canceled |
| May 3 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Canceled |
| May 9 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Canceled |
| May 17 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Canceled |
| May 23 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Canceled |
| May 30 | Rugby United New York | Away | Canceled |
2021 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 21 | Old Glory DC | Home | Draw, 26–26 |
| March 27 | Rugby United New York | Home | Won, 51–28 |
| April 10 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 15–18 |
| April 17 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Won 30-29 |
| April 24 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 28-38 |
| May 2 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Won, 22-14 |
| May 8 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 28-26 |
| May 15 | San Diego Legion | Away | Lost, 17-43 |
| May 22 | Utah Warriors | Home | Won, 29-24 |
| June 5 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 7-8 |
| June 12 | Old Glory DC | Away | Won, 25-21 |
| June 20 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Won, 18-12 |
| June 27 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Won, 17-9 |
| July 4 | LA Giltinis | Away | Won, 21-20 |
| July 11 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 6-30 |
| July 17 | Rugby United New York | Away | Won, 35-32 |
2022 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 5 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Lost, 13-24 |
| February 12 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 9-14 |
| February 19 | Toronto Arrows | Home | Lost, 23-24 |
| March 4 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Won, 25-24 |
| March 12 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Won, 32-26 |
| March 19 | Rugby New York | Home | Lost, 19-30 |
| March 26 | Old Glory DC | Away | Won, 31-22 |
| April 2 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 29-33 |
| April 9 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 17-34 |
| April 16 | Toronto Arrows | Away | Lost, 36-53 |
| April 23 | Austin Gilgronis | Home | Lost, 10-32 |
| May 1 | Rugby United NY | Away | Lost, 28-36 |
| May 14 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 50-21 |
| May 21 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 12-42 |
| May 29 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 5-57 |
| June 3 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 19-45 |
2023 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17 | New England Free Jacks | Home | The Gold Mine | Lost, 36-12 |
| February 25 | Houston SaberCats | Away | SaberCats Stadium | Lost, 35-14 |
| March 4 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | Lost, 29-16 |
| March 12 | New York Ironworkers | Home | The Gold Mine | Won, 31-5 |
| March 18 | Utah Warriors | Home | The Gold Mine | Won, 37-14 |
| March 25 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Won, 20-17 |
| April 2 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | The Gold Mine | Lost, 36-35 |
| April 15 | Rugby ATL | Home | The Gold Mine | Lost, 23-7 |
| April 23 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | Won, 37-24 |
| April 30 | Toronto Arrows | Home | The Gold Mine | Won, 40-24 |
| May 7 | New York Ironworkers | Away | Memorial Field | Lost, 54-19 |
| May 13 | San Diego Legion | Home | The Gold Mine | Lost, 26-12 |
| May 21 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 50-3 |
| June 3 | Old Glory DC | Home | The Gold Mine | Lost, 28-15 |
| June 10 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 15-10 |
| June 17 | Toronto Arrows | Away | York Lions Stadium | Won, 26-24 |
2024 season
NOLA Gold played 16 games in the 2024 regular season, with all eight home games played at the Gold Mine. The team finished the regular season 10–6 and qualified for its first playoff berth, losing to the Chicago Hounds 45-21 in the Eastern Conference semifinal.[12]
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | Old Glory DC | Home | Gold Mine | Won, 18-6 |
| March 9 | Anthem RC | Home | Gold Mine | Won, 34–19 |
| March 16 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 27–21 |
| March 23 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Won, 35–22 |
| April 4 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Gold Mine | Lost, 38–21 |
| April 14 | San Diego Legion | Away | Snapdragon Stadium | Lost, 33–20 |
| April 20 | Miami Sharks | Home | Gold Mine | Lost, 42–27 |
| April 27 | Anthem RC | Away | Truist Point | Won, 40–5 |
| May 11 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Gold Mine | Won, 32–31 |
| May 18 | Utah Warriors | Home | Gold Mine | Won, 21–14 |
| May 26 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | Won, 25–13 |
| June 1 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Gold Mine | Lost, 21–7 |
| June 9 | Miami Sharks | Away | Chase Stadium | Won, 20-13 |
| June 16 | RFC Los Angeles | Away | Dignity Health Sports Park | Won, 38-21 |
| June 22 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Gold Mine | Won, 27-17 |
| June 29 | Old Glory DC | Away | Maryland Soccerplex | Lost, 27–24 |
Postseason
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 21 | Chicago Hounds | Home | Gold Mine | Lost, 45-21 |
Notes
- 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
