Arrows name strong squad for Glendale match

The Ontario Arrows will begin their fall campaign in Toronto next Sunday against the Glendale Raptors and they have named a strong group to prepare for the match against the Major League Rugby finalists. As expected the bulk of the side from the Canadian Rugby Championship-winning Ontario Blues, with four supplemental players joining from the Atlantic Rock, BC Bears, and Canada Sevens groups.

Cole Keith is set to make his Arrows debut after a strong CRC along with fellow front rower Steven Ng, the former impressing at tighthead prop with the Rock and the latter at hooker for the Bears. DJ Sears-Duru is cast at loosehead prop having returned from the UK and Lucas Rumball is in the squad after training with the Canadian centralized group in the spring.

An interesting name is Matt Mullins, a No8 at age-grade level who has played sevens almost exclusively over the past four years. He is joined by fellow sevens core group members Andrew Coe and Lucas Hammond, both of whom joined the Blues for the CRC finals in Calgary.

Canadian international Patrick Parfrey joins the backline and looks set to play flyhalf after wearing the No10 shirt for the Canada Selects in France. The backs are otherwise those who played with the Blues including reserve scrumhalf Riley DiNardo who will make his Arrows debut in the match.

A pair of English-born imports are also named in the squad. Balmy Beach second row Ben Jones is the tallest player in the squad and showed his athleticism with the Blues, while former Saracens Academy flyhalf Kieron Martin now turns out for the Hamilton Hornets in the Niagara ‘A’ Division.

Rumors continue to circulate that the Arrows will be the second expansion franchise confirmed by MLR in the coming days but the team says though they have completed the application process they have yet to receive formal league confirmation. The release of the 2019 MLR schedule is now imminent with an announcement to come this month.

Tickets for next weekend’s match are now available on the official Arrows website.

FORWARDS
Rob Brouwer, Cole Keith, Djustice Sears-Duru, Mike Smith, Steven Ng, AJ Quattrin, Paul Ciulini, Ben Jones, Mike Sheppard, Josh van Horne, Tom van Horne, Kolby Francis, Peter Milazzo, Matt Mullins, Lucas Rumball, Marcello Wainwright

BACKS
Riley DiNardo, Andrew Ferguson, Patrick Parfrey, Kieron Martin, Shawn Windsor, Andrew Coe, Jamie Leveridge, Mitch Richardson, Kainoa Lloyd, Johnny Sheridan, Lucas Hammond