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The NOLA Gold have made a key personnel change ahead of the 2022 Major League Rugby season. Kane Thompson will step up to the Head Coach position effective immediately. He replaces Nate Osborne, who has been with the club since their inception.
Thompson has been an Assistant Coach in addition to playing since arriving in New Orleans ahead of the 2019 season. After playing 19 games in his first two seasons, this past season the New Zealander focused on coaching with only three on-field appearances.
With his 40th birthday approaching in January, Thompson now takes on his first Head Coach position though he was part of a three-man coaching team that oversaw Manu Samoa’s preparations for their cancelled test against the Barbarians in November. Thompson won 33 caps for Samoa between 2007 and 2015, playing in three World Cups.
Osborne departs after four seasons with a record of 25 wins, 19 defeats, and 1 draw. The Gold did not reach the playoffs in that time, missing out by just 1 competition point in 2019 and 2 points in 2021. Prior to his move to New Orleans, the Australia native coached the Denver Barbarians, Metropolis, and was an Assistant Coach for the USA Eagles at RWC 2015.
