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Ed Timpson thanks a season in Sydney for changing the course of his career.

During his time at the University of Nottingham, the Rugby Football Club Los Angeles back row starred in the BUCS Super Rugby competition and even represented England Students against French universities.

After graduating, the 23-year-old spent some time in Scotland before heading to Australia, first to Perth and then on to New South Wales, where he played for Northern Suburbs Rugby Club (Norths) in the coveted Shute Shield.

What followed was a runners-up finish in the competition to Randwick, a strong individual campaign, a two-month spell with Bristol Bears in Gallagher Premiership Rugby, and his arrival in Major League Rugby.

“The whole thing was mental because I lived on a sofa for a month,” Timpson said.

“I had played with Tom Smith for a few months after uni, playing for the Stirling Wolves in the Super 6 (elite rugby competition in Scotland).

“We became really good mates, and I knew he was going to Sydney. I was able to stay with him for a bit, and that allowed me to train with Norths.

“I had my best season. I couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out. It is quite common for people to go there. I had my best season; we finished second in the Shute Shield, and I was the player of the season for the Norths.

“That’s the reason LA and Bristol wanted me. If I had not played there, this wouldn’t be happening.”

When Timpson first saw a message on Instagram about potentially joining Bristol Bears on a short-term contract, he thought it was a hoax. However, in the weeks that followed, and after a Zoom call with the club’s director of rugby, Pat Lam, Timpson soon found that it was anything but.

He then swapped the late Australian spring for the early British winter and got his first taste of professional club rugby among a squad stacked with international talent.

“I was very nervous on my first day because I didn’t really know anyone, and they were the players you watch on TV,” Timpson said.

“It was very intimidating (at first), but everyone was lovely. The Bristol facilities are incredible, and I hadn’t experienced anything like that.

“Being around that sort of players that play week in and week out in the Prem, or internationally, seeing how they go about training and the extra things, was really insightful.”

During his time in England, Timpson played two Premiership Rugby Cup games before moving to the United States.

Timpson’s performances in the Shute Shield impressed not only people at home but also the powers at RFCLA.

In recent years, Stephen Hoiles has coached Randwick to glory in the competition and recruited a number of players from the Sydney competition ahead of his first year in charge in SoCal.

Timpson even had a reunion with his former university teammate, Ben Sugars.

“I’d say that stint with Bristol definitely gave me a lot of confidence coming into LA,” he said.

“Coming into my first professional season with LA would have been a lot more difficult. 

“It put me that step ahead. It helped me focus on what I want to accomplish and how I want my career to go.

“Just trying to implement that in training this season. It has helped. Hopefully I’ve been playing well enough to do that, and I’ll be peaking at the right time heading into the Playoffs.”

Timpson’s objective for continued development has gone to plan.

During his time in California, the flanker has started 10 games for Stephen Hoiles’ team and scored six tries in his 12 appearances.

His powerful and explosive performances in the back row have contributed to the year-two team’s fifth-place finish in the Western Conference with four games left to play.

The Chicago Hounds are first in the team’s objective of reaching the MLR Playoffs. They want to make ground on Eastern Conference leaders, the New England Free Jacks.

There is an added spring in the step of LA coming into this Week 14 clash.

Not only did the team get back to winning ways last weekend after not tasting victory for four weeks, but they also welcomed 2021 World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year Antoine Dupont to their ownership group, which emboldened their mentality.

Rugby Football Club Los Angeles is proud to welcome @Dupont9A into the ownership group of the franchise.

MEDIA (English) https://t.co/VwDdCufqyj pic.twitter.com/vgaE58YaEl

— Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (@RugbyFCLA) May 16, 2025

“We’re still very confident with how we’re trying to play,” Timpson told MLR.

“We had that hot streak after winning our first game (against the Seattle Seawolves in Week 5) and then got four in a row. Then we’ve been on the wrong side of some recently.

“We’re nearly there. I suppose you’d rather peak at the end of the season in the Playoffs. As long as we’re building each week and improving, then we’re all good.

“I think it would be really cool to show the other teams what we’re properly about.

“It would be really cool to cement ourselves properly in the league as one of the teams to beat.”

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Widely regarded as one of the very best players of rugby’s professional era, Dupont will leverage his unparalleled success on the pitch and extensive marketing experience to guide RFCLA’s enduring success in high performance, branding, and commercial development. 

Dupont’s decision to bring his on-field and oJ-field skills and global star power to RFCLA and Major League Rugby (MLR) represents a critical landmark in the development of rugby in the U.S. in the run-up to Los Angeles hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics and the U.S. playing host to the 2031  Men’s Rugby World Cup and 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup. 

Dupont’s unique blend of skill, speed, strength, decision making, and leadership has captivated the hearts of his fellow Frenchmen and earned universal accolades from the global rugby community as the best player in the world and the only in history to excel at the highest levels of  15s and 7s in the same calendar year. 

As national team captain, Dupont led France to the 2025 6 Nations title to add to an unprecedented string of achievements in 2024, including an Olympic Gold Medal in 7s rugby in  Paris, championship runs with his club Stade Toulousain in the France Top 14 and European  Professional Club Rugby competitions, and the HSBC SVNS title with France. 

At only 28 years of age, Dupont was named the 2021 World Player of the Year and has helped establish Stade Toulousain as the premier club in Europe, with four Top 14 titles and two European  Champions Cup titles during his tenure there. 

Dupont shared his thoughts about the opportunity ahead: “Rugby is more than just a sport; it’s a  community with strong values. Beyond competitive success on the pitch for RFCLA, I am excited by the opportunity to grow rugby’s popularity in the States and establish an energetic hub of rugby culture that attracts players, fans, teams, and partners from around the world. 

“Los Angeles is a unique place, combining the best of sports, entertainment, fashion, and culture – I can’t think of any other place that provides such opportunities for youth development, high  performance, and commercial success to go hand-in-hand.” 

For RFCLA, this represents a new era. 

“We feel very privileged that Antoine has chosen RFCLA as the pathway to inspire new rugby players and fans and to join us in growing a global rugby brand. He is as dedicated to expanding the  rugby community as he is to competing on the pitch ,and his vision for integrating the athleticism  and core values of rugby will prove invaluable to building a bright future for rugby in LA and  throughout the U.S,.” said CEO Pete Sickle 

For media inquiries on RFCLA, please contact Olivia at: olivia@rugbyfcla.com

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• Eight Tackles Made
• 12 Ruck Arrivals
• 12 Carries Made

Hooker, Ben Sugars – RFCLA

• One Try Scored
• 45 Meters Made
• 11 Tackles Tackles Made

Tighthead Prop, Kyle Steeves – New England Free Jacks

• 20 Tackles Made
• Five Ruck Arrivals
• Two Ball Carries Made

Left Lock,  Jed Holloway – San Diego Legion 

• Two Tries Scored
• 23 Meters Made
• 15 Ruck Arrivals

Right Lock, Ricky Rose – Miami SHarks

• 19 Tackles Made
• 28 Ruck Arrivals
• Six Ball Carries Made

Blindside Flanker, Aidan King – NOLA Gold

• Three Jackles Won
• 11 Tackles Made
• 34 Meters Made

Openside Flanker, Brad Wilkin – San Diego Legion

• Two Tries Scored
• 23 Tackles Made
• 36 Ball Carries Made

No 8., Jonah Mau’u – NOLA Gold

• Two Tries Scored
• 92 Meters Made
• 10 Tackles Made

Scrum-half, Tomas Cubelli – MIami Sharks

• One Try Scored
• 169 Kicking Meters
• Nine Meters Made

Fly-half, AJ Alatimu – Houston SaberCats

• 13 Points Scored
• 52 Meters Made
• Nine Tackles Made

Left Wing, Joe Mano – Utah Warriors

• Three Tries Scored
• 115 Meters Made
• Four Tackles Made

Inside Center, Tomas Cubilla – Miami Sharks

• One Try Scored
• 55 Meters Made
• Eight Tackles Made

Outside Center, Isaac Te Tamaki – NOLA Gold

• One Try Scored
• Seven Tackles Made
• 52 Kicking Meters

Right Wing, Marcos Young – Miami Sharks

• One Try Scored
• 55 Meters Made
• Nine Tackles Made

Fullback, Max Schumacher – Houston SaberCats

• One Try Scored
• 44 Meters Made
• 57 Kicking Meters

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• 15 Tackles Made
• 14 Ruck Arrivals
• Five Carries Made

Hooker, Andrew Quattrin – New England Free Jacks

• Two Tries Scored
• 24 Ruck Arrivals
• Eight Tackles Tackles Made

Tighthead Prop, Ignacio Peculo – Chicago Hounds

• 14 Tackles Made
• 18 Ruck Arrivals
• Two Ball Carries Made

Left Lock,  Jason Damm – RFCLA 

• 15 Tackles Made
• 25 Ruck Arrivals
• Six Ball Carries Made

Right Lock, Frank Lochore – Utah Warriors

• 23 Tackles Made
• 42 Meters Made
• Eight Lineout Takes

Blindside Flanker, Mason Flesch -Chicago Hounds

• Two Tries Scored
• 22 Tackles Made
• 10 Lineout Takes

Openside Flanker, Joe Johnston – New England Free Jacks

• 39 Ruck Arrivals
• 12 Tackles Made
• Seven Ball Carries Made

No 8., Ronan Foley  – Miami Sharks

• 18 Tackles Made
• 22 Meters Made
• 14 Ruck Arrivals

Scrum-half, Tomas Inciarte – Miami Sharks

• One Try Scored
• 20 Meters Made
• 109  Kicking Meters

Fly-half, Harrison Boyle – New England Free Jacks

• Two Tries Scored
• 43 Meters Made
• 89 Kicking Meters

Left Wing, Jack Reeves – New England Free Jacks

• Two Tries Scored
• 107 Meters Made
• Three Tackles Made

Inside Center, D’angelo Leuila – Utah Warriors

• 13 Points Scored
• 22  Meters Made
• Nine Tackles Made

Outside Center, Kyle Brown – Utah Warriors

• 13 Tackles Made
• 39 Meters Made
• 5 Ruck Arrivals

Right Wing, Xavier Mignot – NOLA Gold

• Three Tries Scored
• 133 Meters Made
• Nine Tackles Made

Fullback, Julian Roberts  – NOLA Gold

• Two Tries Scored
• 51 Meters Made
• 21 Kicking Meters

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