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The LA Giltinis have confirmed new one-year contracts for a trio of returning forwards. Tighthead prop Marco Fepulea’i, hooker Lindsey Stevens, and second row Nathan Den Hoedt have committed for the 2022 Major League Rugby season. The team has also confirmed that captain Dave Dennis will continue for the second of his two-year deal.
Dennis and Den Hoedt were the preferred lock pairing for the Giltinis in 2021, starting alongside each other on 10 occasions including the Championship Final. It was the first MLR season for both Australians. The 35-year-old Dennis played 17 of 18 games and featured in over 80% of all possible minutes, with 24-year-old Den Hoedt just behind in both categories with 16 games played.
Stevens had a positive start to the campaign with six appearances before suffering a season-ending knee injury against Rugby ATL in Week 11. The 26-year-old also hails from Australia but qualifies for both Canada and the USA on ancestry. He was on the Canadian team’s radar prior to his injury and could yet following Giltinis teammate Corey Thomas into the test side.
Fepulea’i, 26, joined LA just ahead of the 2021 season from the Colorado Raptors. The Samoa u20 representative also suffered a knee injury during the season but opted to play on, appearing in seven matches. He notably started both the Western Conference Final and Championship Final, playing all 80 minutes in the latter. Under the Dallas dispersal agreement Fepulea’i was granted domestic status in 2021 but he will be considered an import in 2022.
