Austin Gilgronis

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Austin Gilgronis
Austin Gilgronis logo.svg
Full nameAustin Gilgronis
Nickname(s)AG's
FoundedAustin Elite (2017–2019)
Austin Herd (2019–2020)
Austin Gilgronis (2020–2022)
Disbanded2022
Location Austin, Texas
Ground(s) Bold Stadium (Capacity: 5,036)
Coach(es) Sam Harris
Captain(s) Bryce Campbell
Top scorer Mack Mason (118)
Most tries Hugh Roach (8)
League(s) Major League Rugby
2022 1st (Western Conference)
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1st kit
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2nd kit
Official website
www.gilgronis.com
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The Austin Gilgronis were a professional rugby union team based in Austin, Texas, United States. The team was founded in 2017 as the Austin Elite, and competed in Major League Rugby. [1]

Contents

History

Historical Austin Elite logo 2017-2019. Austin Elite Rugby logo 2017.png
Historical Austin Elite logo 2017–2019.

On September 19, 2019, after extensive polling at the end of the 2019 campaign, the team opted to rename itself the Herd. The logo remained the same although the orange color action was removed indicating a shift away from using orange for the upcoming season. [2] Prior to the 2020 season, Adam Gilchrist and Loyals LLC purchased the team and renamed it the Gilgronis, a reference to a yet-to-be-produced cocktail based on the Negroni, although the eponymous cocktail appears to just be a negroni with a different name. The name was met with significant backlash from fans. [3] Under Gilchrist's ownership, the team's record improved and the team clinched a playoff berth in its 2022 season before being disqualified from the postseason by MLR for "violating league rules". [4] In October 2022, MLR announced that the Gilgronis and the LA Giltinis (both owned by Adam Gilchrist) had been expelled from the league for unspecified reasons. [5] It appears Gilchrist could no longer financially sustain ownership and that the teams have since folded.

Home field

The team most recently played at the Circuit of the Americas in Bold Stadium, having previously played at Dell Diamond and the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex in Round Rock, Texas. [6]

Broadcasts

2021 home games were shown on KBVO. Lincoln Rose and Kit McConnico were the on-air talent.

Sponsorship

SeasonKit manufacturerShirt sponsor
2018–2019 XBlades None
2020–2021 Paladin Sports
2022 Ascension Seton

The Austin Gilgronis jersey was black, orange, and white. The mascot was a gray fox character named Austin Gray. Gray foxes inhabit central Texas, and Austin Gray's initials were AG; matching that of the team.

The Austin Herd jersey was sky blue, black and white. The initial team logo features the stylized head of a Texas Longhorn bull with a Lone Star on its forehead. The mascot was a bull-like character named Dozer. [7]

The team's final name, Gilgronis, was supposedly the name of a cocktail created by the owners, but that cocktail doesn't seem to exist and the name was more likely an amalgamation of the owners name (Gilchrist) and the popular pre-existing cocktail called the negroni. [8] The home kit was orange, and the away kit was white. The last logo was just the club's initials.

Players and personnel

Final squad

The Austin Gilgronis squad for the 2022 Major League Rugby season was: [9]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

PlayerPositionUnion
Robbie Coetzee Hooker Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Mason Koch Hooker Flag of the United States.svg United States
Hugh Roach Hooker Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Mason Pedersen Prop Flag of the United States.svg United States
Fakaʻosi Pifeleti Prop Flag of the United States.svg United States
Payton Telea-Ilalio Prop Flag of the United States.svg United States
Jake Turnbull Prop Flag of the United States.svg United States
Namatahi Waa Prop Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
LaRome White Prop Flag of the United States.svg United States
Jeff Steele Prop Flag of the United States.svg United States
Mika Felix Prop Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Sebastian de Chaves Lock Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Cam Dodson* Lock Flag of England.svg England
Christian Ostberg Lock Flag of the United States.svg United States
Isaac Ross Lock Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Khalid Cannon Lock Flag of the United States.svg United States
Luke Beauchamp Back row Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Kyle Breytenbach Back row Flag of the United States.svg United States
Michael de Waal* Back row Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Maclean Jones Back row Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Lachlan McCaffrey Back row Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Casey McDermott Vai Back row Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Ronan Murphy Back row Flag of the United States.svg United States
PlayerPositionUnion
Pele Cowley Scrum-half Flag of Samoa.svg Samoa
Ryan Louwrens Scrum-half Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
Sidney Shoop Scrum-half Flag of the United States.svg United States
Will Magie Fly-half Flag of the United States.svg United States
Mack Mason Fly-half Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
Dominic Akina Centre Flag of the United States.svg United States
Bryce Campbell (c) Centre Flag of the United States.svg United States
Chris Mattina Centre Flag of the United States.svg United States
Mark O'Keeffe* Centre IRFU flag.svg Ireland
Julián Domínguez Wing Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina
Conner Mooneyham Wing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Caleb Strum Wing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Mende Carlton Wing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Nick Taylor Wing Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada
Marcel Brache Fullback Flag of the United States.svg United States
Zinzan Elan-Puttick* Fullback Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa

Head coaches

Assistant coaches

Captains

Records

Season standings

SeasonConferenceRegular seasonPostseason
PosPldWDLFA+/−BPPtsPldWLFA+/−Result
2018 -5th8305224238−14618Did not qualify
2019 -9th160016263482−21955Did not qualify
2020 [lower-alpha 1] Western5th5113104155-5117Cancelled
2021 Western3rd16907389317+721147Did not qualify
2022 Western1st161204475229+246958Disqualified [11]
Totals57251351,4551,421+34321350000000 postseason appearances

Notes

  1. 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Research Articles

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The LA Giltinis were 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. Owned by Adam Gilchrist and Loyals Rugby, the team was named for a yet-to-be-released drink, itself a portmanteau of "Gilchrist" and "martini". The Giltinis were based in El Segundo, California, and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Darren Coleman was their first head coach.

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The 2022 Austin Gilgronis season was the club's fifth and final season in Major League Rugby. Sam Harris was the coach of the club for the second consecutive year. Bryce Campbell was the captain the club for the second consecutive year as well. The team finished the season in first in the Western Conference standings, but was later disqualified from competing in the 2022 Major League Rugby playoffs due to violating league rules. The team was removed from the league for the 2023 season.

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The 2018 Austin Elite season was both the inaugural season for the club and the inaugural season of Major League Rugby in which the club competed. Alain Hyardet was the first coach of the club. Andrew Suniula was the club's first ever captain.

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References

  1. "Austin Elite, new U.S. pro rugby league lure major TV contract". Austin American-Statesman. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  2. “Austin changes name to Herd” September 19, 2019
  3. Vinicombe, Tom (January 29, 2020). "The Austin MLR team have rebranded and fans can't get over the absurd new name". RugbyPass. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  4. Judd, Brandon (June 3, 2022). "This pro sports league just disqualified a team right before the playoffs". Deseret News . Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  5. Pengelly, Martin (October 26, 2022). "LA and Austin out of MLR as US rugby faces further uncertainty". The Guardian. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  6. "Austin Elite rugby franchise plans to play home games in Round Rock". Austin Statesman. April 13, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  7. Lyttle, Kevin (May 4, 2018). "Austin Elite home opener both a success and a work in progress". Austin American-Statesman. Archived from the original on May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
  8. Dart, Tom (February 10, 2020). "Austin Gilgronis: why would a US rugby club name itself after a cocktail?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  9. "Austin Gilgronis". Americas Rugby News. Retrieved December 6, 2021.
  10. "Alain Hyardet appointed as Head Coach". Austin Elite Rugby. September 12, 2017. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  11. "Major League Rugby in crisis as LA and Austin disqualified from playoffs". The Guardian. June 7, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.