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The Ontario Arrows aren’t in Major League Rugby – yet. As the league prepares to unveil its schedule for the 2019 season the potential Canadian franchise has confirmed its first fixture of their fall schedule. The Glendale Raptors will arrive in Toronto for a match at York Lions Stadium on Sunday, September 16. Tickets are currently available via the official website.
On paper this will be the first official meeting of the Arrows and the Raptors, but one could easily argue that this will be the third match between the two in the past two years. The first came in Burlington in April 2017, where the Raptors fell 43-25 to the Ontario Blues.
This was prior to the creation of the Arrows but the majority of the Canadian Rugby Championship side would go on to play for the Arrows either in the second fixture, in September of last year, or during the exhibition schedule in the spring. It was also, coincidentally, the only loss Glendale suffered in 2017 and would stay their only defeat until the 2018 MLR final against Seattle.
The second match was the first ever for the Arrows but it was Glendale who were under a different banner, wearing their Merlins jerseys with the Raptors brand saved exclusively for the MLR season. Played at Infinity Park, the home side turned the tables with a dominant 41-7 win. All but three of that Glendale selection have since featured for the MLR side.
It won’t be the first match against an MLR side for the Arrows. They have already tied the Houston SaberCats and defeated the Utah Warriors in the spring campaign. The match will, however, have some historic significance beyond the brand collision. Should MLR confirm the Arrows as their 9th franchise in the coming weeks this will effectively serve as the first preseason match for the 2019 season. At worst it will double as a warm-up, of sorts, for a number of Canadian internationals who are expected to play in preparation for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers in November.
Four players from the spring campaign – Paul Ciulini, Mike Sheppard, Andrew Ferguson, and Kainoa Lloyd – were part of the Canada Selects side that just returned from France. Another four – Eric Howard, Lucas Rumball, Patrick Parfrey, and Guiseppe du Toit – played in the Merlins match. Of those Rumball and Parfrey seem the most likely participants, while Djustice Sears-Duru looks probable as well having returned to Ontario after a couple seasons in the UK.
MLR headquarters has been guarded in their approach to the new schedule, releasing a statement on social media that simply said that the new schedule was ‘right around the corner‘. Multiple sources have now stated that there will be only nine teams next season. With Rugby United New York already set in stone, it leaves only one of the Arrows or the LA Coast to follow. Early September appears to be the target time frame with the new franchise to be revealed with the schedule release.
While there are unique logistical hurdles – not least the climate – associated with the Arrows, their due diligence approach certainly appears to make them the more attractive of the two entrants. Having already competed as a team is a significant mark in their favor. By the time September 16 rolls around we will know whether Canada will have its own franchise to root for in 2019.
