NEWS

Matt Giteau Talks About His Return to LA & The Rise of Rugby

Written by Joe Harvey | Photo by Davey Wilson

In 2021, the LA Giltinis introduced themselves to their home city in the best way possible. Lifting the Major League Rugby Shield last August, the side almost instantly ranked themselves alongside LA’s best thanks to their winning season, endearing themselves to a city used to winning.

On Sunday night, the Rams have taken one step closer to lifting a national championship by reaching the Super Bowl that will take place at SoFi Stadium in two weekends time and depending on how that game goes, the Giltinis will be the only team from LA defending a title in 2022.

Returning to defend that title with the Giltinis is Matt Giteau. Last season, Giteau’s efforts were hugely influential in the team’s success in their debut season, playing 13 games in the 2021, scoring 13 points in the MLR Final and earning the Man of the Match award.

Starting his professional career in 2001, Giteau has played rugby at the highest level across two decades in his native Australia, France and Japan before moving to MLR.

Getting the opportunity to play with Adam Ashley-Cooper again, as well as be coached by his former Australia teammate, Stephen Hoiles, plenty more Australians made their way to the LA Memorial Coliseum, and along with a wealth of local talent, the Giltinis’ future was bright from the outset.

Following the Final last year, there was plenty of speculation that Giteau would be retiring alongside Ashley-Cooper. But last week the team and the 103-cap Australia international put that speculation to rest by announcing a return to California, and another shot at lifting a trophy.

BACK FOR MORE

Upon the conclusion of the MLR season last summer, Giteau and his family returned home to Australia. Covid-19 regulations in the country meant that the family had to quarantine in Sydney for 14 days.

It was during that time that the 39-year-old had time to reflect on the season that had just passed and whether or not he wanted to play another season of professional rugby on the west coast or hang up his boots for good.

“Footy was over or I had the opportunity to come back from LA,” Giteau told majorleague.rugby. “The coaching staff were still keen to have me, so it felt quite nice to still be wanted at a later stage of my career.

Photo by Darren Zemanek

“Had it not been an epidemic, and more things were happening away from rugby, that potentially would have changed things. The timing was right.”

A key part of Giteau’s decision hinged on what his wife and three children wanted to do. Living in Manhattan Beach, the quintet took in all that life in LA had to offer, attending NBA games and making the regular trips to the Coliseum, as well as SoFi Stadium for the regular season home clash with the Warriors, it was something that Giteau’s family wanted to experience again.

That, in addition to the way in which the versatile backline player kept himself in shape for whatever the future had in store, led to a return to the Giltinis. 

“The more I thought about it, the more we looked at photos while in that two-week quarantine and then back at home with the family, the experience that they had and really enjoyed it, it kind of made things (the decision) easy for me,” Giteau said.

“Because I still love to compete, so if the family is happy, then I feel like I am not making them make as big a sacrifice. Once the family were really happy to do it, for me it was easy. I just had to get my head around whether I wanted to keep playing.

“Obviously, training by yourself, the more you put yourself through that hurt locker on your own, I think the more it proved to myself that I still wanted to compete and still have a go.”

WALKING BACK THROUGH THE DOOR

Across the 2021 season, LA finished their inaugural campaign with a 12-4 record. Coming unstuck against Rugby New York, Rugby ATL, NOLA Gold and the Utah Warriors, each loss clearly acted as motivation when it came to the postseason.

Facing off with Utah in the Western Conference Final and then ATL in the Final, it was clear that Giteau and his teammates learned from each of their losses to those teams in the weeks that had come before.

Photo by Davey Wilson

Beginning the season with a six-game winning streak, it took a highly motivated New York performance to bring that run to an end. With their first year completed, Giteau believes that the Giltinis have got to evolve in order to remain as contenders for the league title.

“Hoilsey (Stephen Hoiles, Head Coach) said it to us, and he has also said it publicly; what we did last year won’t be good enough,” Giteau said. “That is true because the competition now is getting more exposure, there is a lot more players with experience playing in the league, the league is only going to get tougher and tougher. 

“When you are champions, the next year, every team uses you as a benchmark. Every week we have got to try to be at our best or near our best to get the wins, because teams will focus on us like it is a final each week.

“We need to be better; we need to be more consistent in every aspect and every area we have just got to be better. Otherwise, we won’t get the same results.”

During the offseason, the team has certainly developed. Bringing in Canadian internationals Ben LeSage and Djustice Sears-Duru, as well as cross code back Will Chambers, former England Sevens captain Tom Mitchell, and numerous others, LA still have a squad that will be contending to lift the trophy at the end of the season once more.

In the coaching staff, there have been alterations too. Darren Coleman, who led the Giltinis to the Shield last season, has returned to Australia to take charge of Super Rugby side, NSW Waratahs, with assistant coach, Stephen Hoiles, taking top job.

Adam Ashley-Cooper, who retired last August, has taken on an assistant coaching job, Dave Dennis is coaching the forwards alongside his playing commitments, Orene Ai’i is the skills coach and former England international Alex Corisiero remains as scrum coach.

Having all come together in early January, LA begin their title defense with a trip to Texas and a Western Conference encounter with the Houston SaberCats. Playing Toronto in Langford, BC, a week later the team will have a bye week before playing their first home game of the season against the New England Free Jacks.

“I am here to compete, I am here to win,” Giteau said. “I talk about all those great things that rugby has to offer from a family point of view, but from a rugby and competitive point of view, I am here to win.

Photo by Darren Zemanek

“First and foremost, that is my goal, that is why I am here and a biproduct of winning is that you enjoy your rugby and then away from rugby, the family, I want them to be happy and enjoying life.

“But first and foremost, it is to win. I am here to compete, and I think every team in the league, if you ask them right now what their goal is; it is to be in that Final in June and to be holding the Shield at the end of it.

“We are exactly the same. That is what we want and while you say it is a long season, when you are in it, it flies by. We want to start well.”

RISE OF RUGBY

Last Friday, MLR unveiled its Rise of Rugby campaign that will run throughout the fifth season. An emerging sport in North America, rugby prioritizes the importance of community, glory with modesty, while giving mutual respect for rules and rule makers.

It is these pillars that Giteau has lived much of his live by, rugby having been the platform for him to travel the world and play the game while doing it. Now contributing to the growth of rugby in the USA and Canada, the 39-year-old is impressed by the way in which the game is growing on and off the field.

“It is developing nicely, and I think it is going to continue to develop,” Giteau said. “I think the more money that gets put into it, and the rules that there are around how many American players you have in your side are really good because it encourages growth, and you have to pick these guys, so they get exposure week to week.

“It is very similar to when I was in Japan, and over time these guys that weren’t playing that much or weren’t exposed to foreign players, now they get that experience, learn week in, week out, they get to actually play games every week, so it helps with the growth of their game.

“Away from the game, I think the social media and what is trying to be done by making it more of a spectacle, I think that it really, really positive, trying to promote the game in any way and to get more followers to rugby games.”