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Most teams would feel uneasy about heading to San Diego to play the red-hot Legion in their own backyard on a Sunday evening. After last week’s horror show in Glendale, however, the Toronto Arrows will feel right at home in the balmy coastal air. On deck is a prime time battle that see the Arrows featured on CBS Sports Network for the first time.
Toronto are still slogging through their eight-game road trip and still short of full strength, but weather anomalies aside they are starting to find their groove. Names like Lucas Rumball, John Moonlight, and Theo Sauder are not easily replaced but there is one returnee from international duty this week and one new name.
Jack Nay is read to make his Major League Rugby debut after arriving on loan from Saracens. The 21-year-old England u20 will cast a formidable presence at No8 with another big ball carrier, Kolby Francis, shifted to the bench. Guiseppe du Toit takes his place in the midfield with Spencer Jones and Dan Moor each bumping out one spot.
San Diego are coming off a bye week and before that a comfortable win over Austin. They feature their own newcomer at the back of the scrum in Waikato standout Jordan Manihera. The only other change in the pack sees Faka’osi Pifeleti start at loosehead prop in place of absent Nathan Sylvia. With Manihera’s arrival Sione Tu’ihalamaka will act as a front row reserve.
The backline is the same as it was in Texas but with a slight reshuffle. Dylan Audsley will play on the wing after training with the Eagles during the week, and Ryan Matyas will start at outside center. Nick Boyer is also back from the Americas Rugby Championship but settles for a spot on the bench.
Coming off four wins in a row and featuring a star-studded backline, San Diego are certain to be favorites. Manihera gives them an extra ball carrying presence though it does mean they sacrifice the high work rate of Drew Gaffney.
The scrum battle is certain to be a point of interest. Even in the snows of Glendale the front row looked menacing, and this could well be the toughest test of the season for Paddy Ryan and Co. at the set piece. The addition of Nay adds another string to their bow and with Francis available to make an impact from the bench the Legion will have their hands full.
This promises to be the highlight of the weekend with Toronto keen to erase the memories of last week and San Diego aiming for the top of the table. Both teams are bursting with talent and the weather forecast suggests mild conditions. Expect this one to be full-on for all 80 minutes.
Kickoff is set for 7:30pm Pacific, 10:30pm Eastern. Those located outside the USA will have access to a live stream on the official MLR Facebook page.
SAN DIEGO LEGION
1 Faka’osi Pifeleti, 2 Dean Muir, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 Louis Stanfill, 5 Keni Nasoqeqe, 6 Psalm Wooching, 7 Devin Short, 8 Jordan Manihera, 9 Nate Augspurger, 10 Joe Pietersen (capt.), 11 Dylan Audsley, 12 JP du Plessis, 13 Ryan Matyas, 14 Jasa Veremalua, 15 Kyle Rogers
Replacements: 16 Kapeli Pifeleti, 17 Sione Tu’ihalamaka, 18 Aaron Mitchell, 19 Siaosi Mahoni, 20 Drew Gaffney, 21 Nick Boyer, 22 Tai Enosa, 23 Conor Kearns
TORONTO ARROWS
1 Rob Brouwer, 2 AJ Quattrin, 3 Morgan Mitchell, 4 Mike Sheppard, 5 Paul Ciulini, 6 Peter Milazzo, 7 Marcello Wainwright, 8 Jack Nay, 9 Andrew Ferguson, 10 Sam Malcolm, 11 Dan Moor (capt.), 12 Guiseppe du Toit, 13 Spencer Jones, 14 Avery Oitomen, 15 Shawn Windsor
Replacements: 16 Steven Ng, 17 Pat Lynott, 18 Tom Dolezel, 19 Tom van Horne, 20 Kolby Francis, 21 Riley DiNardo, 22 Jamie Leveridge, 23 Johnny Sheridan
Date: Sunday, March 10
Venue: Torero Stadium, San Diego
Kickoff: 19:30 local (22:30 Eastern)
Referee: Scott Green (USAR)
Assistants: Ben Crouse (SARU) & Lex Weiner (USAR)
Broadcasts: CBS Sports Network, Facebook
