NOLA Gold Rugby Club re-signed James ‘Doc’ Irey for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 34-year old prop is 6’2” and 280 lbs.
Doc played 18 minutes in one match for NOLA Gold during the Covid-19 shortened 2020 season. He also played for New Orleans RFC and for the NOLA Gold Academy against USA Rugby South in November. James was also a reserve during Gold’s 2021 preseason match against the Houston SaberCats.
James Joined NOLA Gold for Week 10 of the 2019 season after playing with New Orleans Rugby Football Club during the 2018-2019 season but did not enter a match. He played against NOLA Gold in exhibition matches with USA Rugby South and Capital Selects. He helped USA South defeat the Cayman Islands 51-33 in May 2020.
He helped the NOLA Gold Academy side to defeat Florida Selects in May and played rugby sevens with New Orleans in Summer 2019, finishing second in the Red River. He also played in the Rugbytown 7s with the All-Navy team. During Fall 2019 he has played with Pontchartrain Po-Boy Rugby, who was undefeated in the Robert Markel Cup Series.
Doc attended Winter Park High School, graduating in 2005. He enlisted in the US Navy in 2005 and is a US Navy Corpsman.
He previously played rugby for the Norfolk Blues 2013-2018, New Orleans RFC 2018-2019, Capital Selects 2016-2018, USA Rugby South Panthers 2019, Savages RFC 2018-2019, ALL Navy 7s 2017, and the Combined Sea Services 2017-2019.
Doc is an experienced prop who has played representative rugby, as well as club rugby.
NOLA Gold 2020 Comments
Ryan Fitzgerald, General Manager said “Doc has been a great addition to our club and city moving down here two years ago with his service in the United States Navy.
He has made a great impact on our Men’s club and then earning a contract with Gold last season.
Doc has worked incredibly hard this offseason and really put himself in a great spot to come in and compete in training camp. Brings that ‘whatever it takes for the team’ military mentality and it’s great to have him in the trenches with us.”
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