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The first rematch of the 2021 Major League Rugby season takes place at The Snake Pit on Saturday evening. It’s doubly unique in that the Toronto Arrows are technically the home side despite playing on Rugby ATL’s home turf. The winner will claim rights over the Fire & Ice Cup, a new creation that honors the close-knit relationship between the two clubs.
Each team counts one victory from their first two encounters, the most recent going to the Ratlers. Toronto were fast starters on that occasion but faded in the second half. Since then the fortunes of the two are similar and they are equal on points in the middle of a congested East Conference table.
ATL had a week to recover following their strong home win over NOLA two weeks ago. They came firing out of the blocks against the Gold but were also clinical in the final quarter. This week they will be in search of a complete 80-minute performance.
Scott Lawrence has again named his strongest available team with only three changes to the starting lineup. Connor Cook and Daemon Torres are ruled out with injury so it’s Vili Helu who runs out on the blindside flank. At scrumhalf it’s a straight swap with Rowan Gouws at No9 while Mark O’Keeffe starts in place of Robbie Petzer at inside center.
On the bench there are two notable additions. US Eagles prop Chance Wenglewski is fit to resume duties with Jonas Petrakopoulos this week covering the tighthead spot. Last season’s starting eightman Ross Deacon provides loose forward cover. Petzer joins Ryan Rees and Duncan van Schalkwyk as extra backs in a traditional 5-3 split.
The Arrows crashed in the second half against NOLA and now must find inspiration on only five days rest. They will not miss the Louisiana humidity and with no extra travel this is as close as it gets to an actual home game. Chris Silverthorn has resisted change with only one alteration to the run-on side.
Joaquín Tuculet misses out after his head-to-head collision with Carl Meyer last weekend, so it’s Gastón Mieres who starts at fullback with Leandro Leivas coming in on the right wing. Paul Ciulini and Marcello Wainwright make way for Adrian Wadden and Kolby Francis on the bench.
The forecast suggests ideal conditions which should make for a fan-friendly contest. Both teams feature backlines that stack up against any in MLR, and the forwards are also well matched. The Arrows may have a slight advantage in the scrum, though the lineout leans towards ATL. If the Arrows that played New York show up they should be considered favorites but anything less may not be enough.
Kickoff is set for 7pm local, 4pm Pacific. TSN Direct will carry the game for fans in Canada with The Rugby Network streaming to the rest of the world.
TORONTO ARROWS
1 Cole Keith, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Gastón Cortes, 4 Mason Flesch, 5 Mike Sheppard, 6 Tomás de la Vega, 7 Lucas Rumball (co-capt.), 8 Manuel Diana, 9 Ross Braude, 10 Tayler Adams, 11 Manuel Montero, 12 Patrick Parfrey, 13 Ben LeSage (co-capt.), 14 Leandro Leivas, 15 Gastón Mieres
Replacements: 16 Jack McRogers, 17 Pat Lynott, 18 Tyler Rowland, 19 Kolby Francis, 20 Adrian Wadden, 21 Jason Higgins, 22 Spencer Jones, 23 Will Kelly
RUGBY ATL
1 Alex Maughan, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 3 Wikus Groenewald, 4 Marno Redelinghuys, 5 Johan Momsen, 6 Vili Helu, 7 Matt Heaton (capt.), 8 Jason Damm, 9 Rowan Gouws, 10 Bautista Ezcurra, 11 Rory van Vugt, 12 Mark O’Keeffe, 13 Te Rangatira Waitokia, 14 Jeremy Misailegalu, 15 Adriaan Carelse
Replacements: 16 Neethling Gericke, 17 Chance Wenglewski, 18 Jonas Petrakopoulos, 19 Conor Keys, 20 Ross Deacon, 21 Ryan Rees, 22 Duncan van Schalkwyk, 23 Robbie Petzer
Date: Saturday, May 8
Venue: Lupo Family Field, Marietta
Kickoff: 19:00 local (16:00 Pacific)
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistants: Cisco Lopez (USA) & Dave Edwards (USA)
Broadcasts: The Rugby Network, TSN Direct
Historical Results
2021-03-20 – Rugby ATL 21, Toronto Arrows 14 (Lupo Family Field)
2020-03-01 – Rugby ATL 18, Toronto Arrows 28 (Lupo Family Field)
