NEWS

Living the Dream – RFCLA’s Ed Timpson

Written By Joe Harvey

Ed Timpson thanks a season in Sydney for changing the course of his career.

During his time at the University of Nottingham, the Rugby Football Club Los Angeles back row starred in the BUCS Super Rugby competition and even represented England Students against French universities.

After graduating, the 23-year-old spent some time in Scotland before heading to Australia, first to Perth and then on to New South Wales, where he played for Northern Suburbs Rugby Club (Norths) in the coveted Shute Shield.

What followed was a runners-up finish in the competition to Randwick, a strong individual campaign, a two-month spell with Bristol Bears in Gallagher Premiership Rugby, and his arrival in Major League Rugby.

“The whole thing was mental because I lived on a sofa for a month,” Timpson said.

“I had played with Tom Smith for a few months after uni, playing for the Stirling Wolves in the Super 6 (elite rugby competition in Scotland).

“We became really good mates, and I knew he was going to Sydney. I was able to stay with him for a bit, and that allowed me to train with Norths.

“I had my best season. I couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out. It is quite common for people to go there. I had my best season; we finished second in the Shute Shield, and I was the player of the season for the Norths.

“That’s the reason LA and Bristol wanted me. If I had not played there, this wouldn’t be happening.”

When Timpson first saw a message on Instagram about potentially joining Bristol Bears on a short-term contract, he thought it was a hoax. However, in the weeks that followed, and after a Zoom call with the club’s director of rugby, Pat Lam, Timpson soon found that it was anything but.

He then swapped the late Australian spring for the early British winter and got his first taste of professional club rugby among a squad stacked with international talent.

“I was very nervous on my first day because I didn’t really know anyone, and they were the players you watch on TV,” Timpson said.

“It was very intimidating (at first), but everyone was lovely. The Bristol facilities are incredible, and I hadn’t experienced anything like that.

“Being around that sort of players that play week in and week out in the Prem, or internationally, seeing how they go about training and the extra things, was really insightful.”

During his time in England, Timpson played two Premiership Rugby Cup games before moving to the United States.

Timpson’s performances in the Shute Shield impressed not only people at home but also the powers at RFCLA.

In recent years, Stephen Hoiles has coached Randwick to glory in the competition and recruited a number of players from the Sydney competition ahead of his first year in charge in SoCal.

Timpson even had a reunion with his former university teammate, Ben Sugars.

“I’d say that stint with Bristol definitely gave me a lot of confidence coming into LA,” he said.

“Coming into my first professional season with LA would have been a lot more difficult. 

“It put me that step ahead. It helped me focus on what I want to accomplish and how I want my career to go.

“Just trying to implement that in training this season. It has helped. Hopefully I’ve been playing well enough to do that, and I’ll be peaking at the right time heading into the Playoffs.”

Timpson’s objective for continued development has gone to plan.

During his time in California, the flanker has started 10 games for Stephen Hoiles’ team and scored six tries in his 12 appearances.

His powerful and explosive performances in the back row have contributed to the year-two team’s fifth-place finish in the Western Conference with four games left to play.

The Chicago Hounds are first in the team’s objective of reaching the MLR Playoffs. They want to make ground on Eastern Conference leaders, the New England Free Jacks.

There is an added spring in the step of LA coming into this Week 14 clash.

Not only did the team get back to winning ways last weekend after not tasting victory for four weeks, but they also welcomed 2021 World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year Antoine Dupont to their ownership group, which emboldened their mentality.

Rugby Football Club Los Angeles is proud to welcome @Dupont9A into the ownership group of the franchise.

MEDIA (English) https://t.co/VwDdCufqyj pic.twitter.com/vgaE58YaEl

— Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (@RugbyFCLA) May 16, 2025

“We’re still very confident with how we’re trying to play,” Timpson told MLR.

“We had that hot streak after winning our first game (against the Seattle Seawolves in Week 5) and then got four in a row. Then we’ve been on the wrong side of some recently.

“We’re nearly there. I suppose you’d rather peak at the end of the season in the Playoffs. As long as we’re building each week and improving, then we’re all good.

“I think it would be really cool to show the other teams what we’re properly about.

“It would be really cool to cement ourselves properly in the league as one of the teams to beat.”