The New Orleans Gold Rugby Club announced the addition of Bobby Johns to the team for the inaugural Major League Rugby season that begins in April, 2018. Johns is a versatile back that can play center, flyhalf or scrumhalf.
Bobby Johns Rugby, Education & Career
Bobby Johns began playing rugby at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, where he played from 2001-2006. He then attended Louisiana State University, from 2006-2012, earning a earning Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance in 2010 and a Masters Degree in Business Administration, Human Resources Management in 2012. While at LSU, he played rugby from 2006-2011and was captain from 2008-2011.
While a Sophomore in high school in 2004, Johns attended USA U19 camps, but was not selected for national team play at that time. He would need to wait a few years before he was again on the USA radar.
In 2007-2009, he played for the Texas Rugby Union All-Stars, the Western Collegiate All-Stars from 2008-2010 and in 2008 he played with the USA Rugby Men’s Under 20s. He was also was selected as a USA College All-Americans Honorable Mention in 2008-2010.
After completing his Collegiate Rugby career, he joined the New Orleans RFC from 2011 to the present. While with the Club, the team finished in third place at the 2013 D1 Nationals. The next year they finished second to Life University after finishing in first place in the Red River Rugby Conference.
Bobby Johns was also involved in rugby sevens with the New Orleans Royale 7s in 2013-2014, the Rugbytown 7s from 2013-2015 for Negro y Azul, where he captained the side in 2014. He also played at the Elite City Sevens for Houston in 2014.
During one’s rugby career their is often a balancing act of career, family and rugby. Bobby needed to spend time between 2015 and now focusing on his accounting career. While working, he attended night classes at the University of New Orleans to earn 21 credits in Accounting to be able to take the CPA exam. He completed the last of the four parts of the exam on September 19, 2017.
Bobby Johns will now resume playing rugby with the New Orleans Gold. His current job is within walking distance of the NOLA Gold gym, rehab center, and practice facility. So it works out somewhat perfectly. He is looking forward to the daily grind and getting to work with the team.
Bobby is ecstatic about joining professional rugby with the New Orleans Gold. “It’s surreal that NOLA Gold is happening so close to home and that this opportunity exists to do something I love.”
The featured photo of Bobby Johns is by Travis Prior.
New Orleans Gold Rugby Club
- Nate Osborne – Head Coach
- Todd Fitzgerald – Assistant Head Coach and Assistant General Manager
- Sebastián Kalm – Backrow
- Moni Tongauiha – Center
- Hubert Buydens – Loosehead prop
- Eric Howard – Hooker
- Ratu Peceli Rinakama – Flyhalf, Scrum-half, Wing, Fullback
- Bobby Johns – Center, Flyhalf, Scrumhalf
- Matt Hughston – Center, Flanker
- Jojo Tikoisuva – Wing
- Tim Falcon – Owner
- JP Eloff – Flyhalf, Center, Fullback
- Ryan Fitzgerald – General Manager
- Holden Youngert – Scrum-half
- Michael Baska – Fullback
- Derrek Van Klein – Loosehead Prop
- Myles McQuone – Lock
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