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The wait is finally over and the Toronto Arrows are back home. It’s been a remarkable 1,035 days since they host New York at Lamport Stadium on June 2, 2019. Two seasons and 29 consecutive Major League Rugby fixtures have elapsed since, and the Arrows welcome a new venue to the league in the newly-renovated York Lions Stadium.
Appropriately it’s Rugby ATL who are the opposition. The Ratlers shared facilities with the Arrows last season with pandemic restrictions forcing the Canadian side to stay south of the border for the entirety of the 2021 campaign. Unsurprisingly it was the Eastern Conference champions who won both matches played at Lupo Family Field. The Fire & Ice Cup won’t be on the line this time as it is only contested at the home field of the current holders.
ATL are in a position of strength with a 5-2 record, good enough for 2nd spot in the East. Five of those games have been played at home, however, and they now embark on a very difficult stretch with six of their next seven games to be played on the road. The trip to Toronto is their longest of the season to date.
After falling away in the second half against the Free Jacks last weekend, Stephen Brett has opted to refresh the lineup with six changes to the pack. John Sullivan starts at loosehead prop, having played largely at tighthead this season, with Alex Maughan coming in at hooker. The new second row pairing is Evan Mintern and Conor Keys. Concussion has ruled out Matt Heaton so Connor Cook wears the No7 shirt with Vili Helu coming in on the blindside flank. Jason Damm gets his first start since injuring his knee against Utah in July of last year.
Ryan Rees rotates in for Rowan Gouws at scrumhalf, and Ryan Nell is fit to captain the side in the midfield. Te Rangatira Waitokia bumps out to the wing with Austin White dropping back to fullback. Kian Meadon still has another week left of his loan from the SaberCats but he will not suit up on Saturday.
The Arrows by contrast have managed a 4-3 record with one designated home match taking place in Langford. They will play seven of their last nine games in Toronto, including the next three. Consecutive wins over Utah and New York give them some momentum but injuries continue to take their toll on the roster. There are 13 players unavailable this week including five starting backs.
Ross Braude’s prognosis is thankfully short-term though it leaves the Arrows with only one fit scrumhalf in Chris Bell. The 24-year-old gets his first MLR start with Sam Malcolm providing emergency cover. Not-so-good news is that Dennon Robinson-Bartlett could miss a few weeks with a foot injury. Guiseppe du Toit comes into the midfield with Ueta Tufuga shifting to outside center. Brock Webster’s departure to the Canada Sevens camp coincides with the return of Conor McCann at fullback.
All of last week’s starting pack were still on the pitch at the final whistle and they are asked to front up again. There are six forwards in reserve, however, with Kyle Baillie fit to resume duty and Marcello Wainwright making his first match day appearance of the season. The latter joins Ollie Nott as a second back row substitute.
Brisk but otherwise calm conditions are expected at game time. The Arrows will be driven by the emotion of the occasion but will be wary of fatigue in the second half. Braude’s absence is notable though Bell played an important role in the win over New York.
ATL meanwhile will miss Heaton’s leadership up front with Justin Basson also a key absentee at lock. They will look for Marko Janse van Rensburg and Johan Momsen to make an impact off the bench. It’s a difficult match to call but give the favorites tag to the Arrows as they reward the patience of their home faithful.
Kickoff is set for noon local time, 9am Pacific. Canadian viewers can watch the game on TSN 4 and TSN’s digital services, with The Rugby Network streaming to those located across the USA and abroad.
TORONTO ARROWS
1 Cole Keith, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Isaac Salmon, 4 Mike Sheppard (capt.), 5 Paul Ciulini, 6 Lucas Rumball, 7 James O’Neill, 8 Ronan Foley, 9 Chris Bell, 10 Sam Malcolm, 11 Mitch Richardson, 12 Guiseppe du Toit, 13 Ueta Tufuga, 14 Johnny Sheridan, 15 Conor McCann
Replacements: 16 Jack McRogers, 17 Lolani Faleiva, 18 Tyler Rowland, 19 Kyle Baillie, 20 Ollie Nott, 21 Mitch Voralek, 22 Will Kelly, 23 Marcello Wainwright
RUGBY ATL
1 John Sullivan, 2 Alex Maughan, 3 John-Roy Jenkinson, 4 Evan Mintern, 5 Conor Keys, 6 Vili Helu, 7 Connor Cook, 8 Jason Damm, 9 Ryan Rees, 10 Kurt Coleman, 11 Lui Sitama, 12 Will Leonard, 13 Ryan Nell (capt.), 14 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 15 Austin White
Replacements: 16 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 17 Will Burke, 18 Lincoln Sii, 19 Johan Momsen, 20 Ross Deacon, 21 Rowan Gouws, 22 Duncan van Schalkwyk, 23 George Barton
Date: Saturday, April 2
Venue: York Lions Stadium, Toronto
Kickoff: 12:00 local (09:00 Pacific)
Referee: Marcus Playle (New Zealand)
Assistants: Michael Jones (Canada) & Peter Pender (Canada)
TMO: Andrew Hosie (Canada)
Broadcasts: The Rugby Network, TSN 4
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2021-05-08 – Toronto Arrows 29, Rugby ATL 33 (Lupo Family Field)
2021-03-20 – Rugby ATL 21, Toronto Arrows 14 (Lupo Family Field)
2020-03-01 – Rugby ATL 18, Toronto Arrows 28 (Lupo Family Field)
