Austin Gilgronis

Professional rugby union team from Austin, Texas

Rugby team

Austin Gilgronis

Full name| Austin Gilgronis
Nickname(s)| AG's
Founded| Austin Elite (2017–2019)
Austin Herd (2019–2020)
Austin Gilgronis (2020–2022)
Disbanded| 2022
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)

1st kit

2nd kit

|

Official website
www.gilgronis.com
Current season

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]

## History[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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

## Sponsorship[edit]

Season  | Kit manufacturer  | Shirt sponsor

|
|

2018–2019  | XBlades | None
2020–2021  | Paladin Sports
2022  | Ascension Seton

## Colors and logo[edit]

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[edit]

### Current squad[edit]

For player movements before and during the 2022 season, see List of 2021–22 Major League Rugby transfers § Austin Gilgronis.

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.

| Player  | Position  | Union

|
|

Robbie Coetzee | Hooker |  South Africa
Mason Koch | Hooker |  United States
Hugh Roach | Hooker |  Australia
Mason Pedersen | Prop |  United States
Fakaʻosi Pifeleti | Prop |  United States
Payton Telea-Ilalio | Prop |  United States
Jake Turnbull | Prop |  United States
Namatahi Waa | Prop |  New Zealand
LaRome White | Prop |  United States
Jeff Steele | Prop |  United States
Mika Felix | Prop |  New Zealand
Sebastian de Chaves | Lock |  South Africa
Cam Dodson* | Lock |  England
Christian Ostberg | Lock |  United States
Isaac Ross | Lock |  New Zealand
Khalid Cannon | Lock |  United States
Luke Beauchamp | Back row |  Australia
Kyle Breytenbach | Back row |  United States
Michael de Waal* | Back row |  South Africa
Maclean Jones | Back row |  Australia
Lachlan McCaffrey | Back row |  Australia
Casey McDermott Vai | Back row |  New Zealand
Ronan Murphy | Back row |  United States
| Player  | Position  | Union

|
|

Pele Cowley | Scrum-half |  Samoa
Ryan Louwrens | Scrum-half |  South Africa
Sidney Shoop | Scrum-half |  United States
Will Magie | Fly-half |  United States
Mack Mason | Fly-half |  Australia
Dominic Akina | Centre |  United States
Bryce Campbell (c) | Centre |  United States
Chris Mattina | Centre |  United States
Mark O'Keeffe* | Centre |  Ireland
Julián Domínguez | Wing |  Argentina
Conner Mooneyham | Wing |  United States
Caleb Strum | Wing |  United States
Mende Carlton | Wing |  United States
Nick Taylor | Wing |  Canada
Marcel Brache | Fullback |  United States
Zinzan Elan-Puttick* | Fullback |  South Africa

* 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[edit]

* Alain Hyardet (2018–2019) [10]
* Brent Semmons (2020)
* Sam Harris (2021–2022)

### Assistant coaches[edit]

* Mark Gerrard (2021–2022)

### Captains[edit]

* Andrew Suniula (2018)
* Ben Mitchell (2019)
* Zinzan Elan-Puttick (2020)
* Bryce Campbell (2021–2022)

## Records[edit]

### Season standings[edit]

Season  | Conference  | Regular season  | Postseason

|
|
|

Pos  | Pld  | W  | D  | L  | F  | A  | +/−  | BP  | Pts  | Pld  | W  | L  | F  | A  | +/−  | Result
2018 | \-  | 5th | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 224 | 238 | −14 | 6 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify
2019 | \-  | 9th | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 263 | 482 | −219 | 5 | 5 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify
2020[a] | Western  | 5th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 104 | 155 | -51 | 1 | 7 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Cancelled
2021 | Western  | 3rd | 16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 389 | 317 | +72 | 11 | 47 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify
2022 | Western  | 1st | 16 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 475 | 229 | +246 | 9 | 58 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Disqualified [11]
Totals | 57 | 25 | 1 | 35 | 1,455 | 1,421 | +34 | 32 | 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 postseason appearances

## Notes[edit]

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

## References[edit]

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. ^ [1] “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 4, 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.

## External links[edit]

* Former Austin Elite official website at the Wayback Machine (archived May 18, 2019)
* Former Austin Herd official website at the Wayback Machine (archived January 28, 2020)

* v
* t
* e

Austin Gilgronis

* Founded 2017
* Based in Austin, Texas
* Formerly Austin Elite (2017–19) Austin Herd (2019–20)

Venues|

* Round Rock Multipurpose Complex (2018)
* Dell Diamond (2019)
* Toyota Field (alternate, 2019–2020)
* Bold Stadium (2020-present)

People|

* Captains
* Current squad
* Head coaches

Seasons|

* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

* v
* t
* e

Major League Rugby

Teams|

| Active Teams|

* Anthem Rugby Carolina
* Chicago Hounds
* Dallas Jackals
* Houston SaberCats
* Miami Sharks
* New England Free Jacks
* New Orleans Gold
* Old Glory DC
* Rugby Football Club Los Angeles
* San Diego Legion
* Seattle Seawolves
* Utah Warriors

|

Future teams|

* Nuevo Léon

Former teams|

* Austin Gilgronis
* Colorado Raptors
* LA Giltinis
* Rugby New York
* Toronto Arrows

By year|

| MLR seasons|

* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024

|

MLR championships|

* 2018
* 2019
* ~~2020~~
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Player transfers|

* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023-24

Collegiate Draft|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

See also|

| MLR Virtual|

* 2020

|

* v
* t
* e

Sports teams based in Texas

Baseball|

MLB
Houston Astros
Texas Rangers
PCL
El Paso Chihuahuas
Round Rock Express
Sugar Land Space Cowboys

Amarillo Sod Poodles
Corpus Christi Hooks
Frisco RoughRiders
Midland RockHounds
San Antonio Missions

Cleburne Railroaders

Alpine Cowboys
Austin Weirdos
Pecos Bills

Basketball|

NBA
Dallas Mavericks
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
G League
Austin Spurs
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Texas Legends
WNBA
Dallas Wings
ABA
Dallas Impact
IBL
Texas Lone Star Strikers

Football|

NFL
Dallas Cowboys
Houston Texans
UFL
Arlington Renegades
Houston Roughnecks
San Antonio Brahmas
CIF
Amarillo Venom
West Texas Warbirds
IFL
Frisco Fighters
WFA
Arlington Impact
Austin Outlaws
Dallas Elite
Houston Power
IWFL
Austin Yellow Jackets
Houston Energy
San Antonio Regulators
South Texas Lady Crushers

Hockey|

NHL
Dallas Stars
AHL
Texas Stars
ECHL
Allen Americans
NAHL
Amarillo Wranglers
Corpus Christi IceRays
El Paso Rhinos
Lone Star Brahmas
Odessa Jackalopes
NA3HL
Austin Ice Bats
El Paso Rhinos
Mid-Cities Junior Stars
Texas Jr. Brahmas
Texas RoadRunners

Soccer|

MLS
Austin FC
FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo FC
NWSL
Houston Dash
USLC
El Paso Locomotive FC
San Antonio FC
MLSNP
Austin FC II
Houston Dynamo 2
North Texas SC
USL1
Texoma FC (2025)
USL2
AC Houston Sur
AHFC Royals
Corpus Christi FC
Houston FC
Round Rock SC
Texas United
Twin City Toucans FC
USL PDL
Austin Lightning
Austin Aztex U23
NPSL
Austin United FC
FC Brownsville
Coyotes FC
Dallas City FC
Denton Diablos FC
Fort Worth Vaqueros FC
Laredo Heat
Midland-Odessa Sockers FC
SISL/USISL
Austin Lone Stars
GCPL
Hill Country Lobos
LSSA
Austin Thunder
MASL
Dallas Sidekicks
Mesquite Outlaws
MASL2
Amarillo Bombers
RGV Barracudas FC
UWS
FC Austin Elite
San Antonio Athenians SC
WPSL
Austin Rise FC
Houston Aces
USL W-2
Austin Lady Lone Stars

Lacrosse|

NLL
Panther City Lacrosse Club

Australian rules
football|

USAFL
Austin Crows
Dallas Dingoes
Houston Lonestars

Roller derby|

WFTDA
Alamo City Rollergirls
Assassination City Roller Derby
Cowboy Capital Rollergirls
Dallas Derby Devils
Houston Roller Derby
Spindletop Roller Girls
Texas Rollergirls
West Texas Roller Derby

Rugby union|

MLR
Houston SaberCats
Dallas Jackals
TGU
Alamo City Rugby Football Club
Austin Blacks
Austin Huns
Corpus Christi Rugby Football Club
Dallas Griffins
Dallas Harlequins R.F.C.
Dallas RFC

Softball|

WPF
Texas Smoke

Cricket|

MLC
Texas Super Kings
MiLC
Dallas Mustangs
Lone Star Athletics
Houston Hurricanes (cricket)

Ultimate|

UFA
Austin Sol
Dallas Legion
Houston Havoc

Esports|

Multi-sport
Team Envy
Complexity
OWL
Dallas Fuel
Houston Outlaws
CDL
OpTic Texas
NBA 2K League
Mavs Gaming

College athletics
(NCAA Division I)|

ACU
Baylor
Dallas Baptist (baseball only)
Houston
Houston Christian
UIW
Lamar
North Texas
PVAMU
Rice
Sam Houston
SMU
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton
TCU
Texas
Texas A&M
A&M–Commerce
A&M–Corpus Christi
Texas Southern
Texas State
Texas Tech
UTA
UTEP
UTSA
UTRGV

* v
* t
* e

Austin, Texas

Slogan: Live Music Capital of the World

Attractions|

* Austin Zoo
* Circuit of the Americas
* Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium
* Dell Diamond
* Driskill Hotel
* Frank Erwin Center
* NLand
* State Capitol
* Texas Governor's Mansion
* Treaty Oak
* UFCU Disch-Falk Field
* University of Texas Tower
* Zach Theatre

History|

* 1839 city plan
* 1928 city plan
* Austin Dam failure
* Capitol View Corridors
* COVID-19 pandemic
* French Legation
* Greater Austin
* Stephen F. Austin
* Texas Archive War
* Timeline
* Treaty Oak
* Waterloo, Texas

Education|

| Tertiary|

* Austin Community College
* Concordia University Texas
* Huston–Tillotson University
* St. Edward's University
* University of Texas

|

School districts|

* Austin ISD
* template
* Del Valle ISD
* Eanes ISD
* Hays CISD
* Leander ISD
* Lake Travis ISD
* Manor ISD
* Pflugerville ISD

State schools|

* Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
* Texas School for the Deaf

| Closed|

* Texas Blind, Deaf, and Orphan School

|

Libraries|

* Austin Public Library
* Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building

Government|

* City Hall
* Camp Mabry
* City Council
* Fire
* Health
* Police

Industry|

| General|

* Amy's Ice Creams
* Golfsmith
* Keller Williams Realty
* Schlotzsky's
* Whole Foods Market

|

Creative arts|

* Alamo Drafthouse Cinema/Drafthouse Films
* Collings Guitars
* Devolver Digital
* Gunfire Games
* Inner Sanctum Records
* Powerhouse Animation Studios
* Retro Studios
* Rooster Teeth
* Troublemaker Studios
* Waterloo Records
* Western Vinyl

Technology|

* Advanced Technology Development Facility (ATDF)
* Cirrus Logic
* Dell Computer
* Freescale Semiconductor
* Luminex Corporation
* MCC
* National Instruments
* Silicon Labs
* Valence Technology

Museums|

* Arthouse at Laguna Gloria
* Arthouse at The Jones Center
* Austin History Center
* Austin Museum of Digital Art
* Blanton Museum of Art
* Bullock Texas State History Museum
* The Contemporary Austin
* Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
* Elisabet Ney Museum
* French Legation Museum
* George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center
* Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
* Jacob Fontaine Religious Museum
* Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
* Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
* Mexic-Arte Museum
* Neill-Cochran House Museum
* O. Henry Museum
* South Austin Museum of Popular Culture
* Texas Memorial Museum
* Texas Military Forces Museum
* Texas State Capitol Visitors Center
* Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum

Music|

* Antone's
* Armadillo World Headquarters
* Austin City Limits
* Austin Opera
* Austin Symphony Orchestra
* Cinematic Symphony
* Emo's
* Germania Insurance Amphitheater
* SXSW

Neighborhoods|

* Allandale
* Anderson Mill
* Barton Hills
* Blackland
* Bouldin Creek
* Bremond Block Historic District
* Brentwood
* Bryker Woods
* Canyon Creek
* Chinatown
* Circle C Ranch
* Clarksville
* Congress Avenue
* Copperfield
* Crestview
* Dawson
* Dove Springs
* Downtown Austin
* The Drag
* East Cesar Chavez
* East Riverside-Oltorf
* Easton Park
* French Place
* Galindo
* Granada Hills
* Hancock
* Hyde Park Historic District
* Jollyville
* Montopolis
* Moore's Crossing Historic District
* Mueller Community
* North Burnet–Gateway
* North Shoal Creek
* Northwest Hills
* Oak Hill
* Old West Austin
* Onion Creek
* Pemberton Heights
* Rainey Street
* Rosedale
* Saint John
* Scenic Brook
* Shadow Lawn Historic District
* Sixth Street
* South Congress
* South Lamar
* South River City
* Spyglass-Barton's Bluff
* Swedish Hill
* Tarrytown
* Travis Heights
* Waters Park
* West Campus
* Westgate
* West Line
* Willow-Spence Streets
* Windsor Hills
* Windsor Park
* Wooten
* Zilker

Parks and
recreation|

* Auditorium Shores
* Barton Creek
* Barton Springs
* Big Walnut Creek
* Bull Creek
* Colorado River
* Deep Eddy Pool
* Emma Long
* Hippie Hollow
* Lady Bird Lake
* Lake Austin
* Lake Travis
* Lake Walter E. Long
* McKinney Falls
* Mount Bonnell
* Pease Park
* Republic Square
* Rosewood Park
* Walnut Creek Park
* Wild Basin
* Zilker Park

Transportation|

| Public|

* Austin–Bergstrom International Airport
* Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority
* Capital MetroBus
* Capital MetroRail
* Capital MetroRapid
* Capital Area Rural Transportation System

|

Freeways|

* MoPac Expressway
* Interstate 35
* Pickle Parkway
* SH 71
* US 290
* US 183

Streets|

* Congress Avenue
* Guadalupe Street
* Sixth Street

Bridges|

* Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge
* Lamar Boulevard Bridge
* Larry Monroe Forever Bridge
* Montopolis Bridge
* Pennybacker Bridge
* Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge
* West Fifth Street Bridge
* West Sixth Street Bridge

Culture|

* Keep Austin Weird
* Leslie Cochran
* Occupy Austin
* Spamarama
* Weird City

Sports|

* Austin Aztex FC
* Austin Bold FC
* Austin FC
* Austin FC II
* Austin Gilgronis
* Austin Huns
* Austin Lightning
* Austin Lady Lone Stars
* Austin Lone Stars
* Austin Outlaws
* Austin Rise FC
* Austin Spurs
* Austin Thunder
* Austin United FC
* FC Austin Elite
* Round Rock Express
* Texas Stars

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