7 February 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – Toronto Arrows Director of Rugby Chris Silverthorn has named his starting lineup for Sunday’s Major League Rugby season opener against the Austin Gilgronis.

The Arrows will run out a heavily Canadian lineup for their league kickoff match at Austin’s Bold Stadium, with Silverthorn selecting 10 full Canadian internationals to his matchday squad.

“We’ve waited seven long months to get back to this point, and from up and down our entire organization, we’re champing at the bit to kick off our season,” said Silverthorn. “Our guys have put in the work this pre-season, and are raring to go. These last few training sessions have been especially fast-paced as players have put up their hands for spots in the lineup.”

Fourteen full internationals have been named to Toronto’s matchday squad, carrying a combined cap total of 333 matches.

“Our ability to be fully competitive, compared to this point in 2019, is night and day,” added Silverthorn. “Last year, we had lost more than a third of our squad to international duty at the Americas Rugby Championship, and we were stretched quite thin while going through the rigours of our inaugural season. This year, the international schedule is much kinder to Major League Rugby, and we have a full, excited squad at our disposal. It’s made for some fierce internal competition, and our guys have been pushing one another to bring out their best. We’re looking forward to going up against a fresh Austin side eager to make a big jump following last year’s campaign, and we’ll have to be sharp if we want to return home with full points in the bank.”

Squad Notes:

Five new signings will make their MLR debuts: Adams, Asiata, Diana, de la Vega, LeSage

One new signing stands to make his MLR debut off the bench: Rowland

Ten squad members are full Canadian internationals: Ciulini (8 caps), du Toit (14 caps), Ferguson (10 caps), Keith (16 caps), LeSage (16 caps), Mackenzie (21 caps), Moor (14 caps), Quattrin (5 caps), Rumball (35 caps), Sheppard (11 caps)

Three squad members are full Uruguayan internationals: Diana (25 caps), Leivas (76 caps), Mieres (70 caps)

One squad member is a full Argentinian international: de la Vega (12 caps)

2019 Regular Season Notes:

Malcolm ranked second in the league in made goals (62), third in points scored (145), and fourth in goal kicking accuracy (82.7%)

Milazzo ranked second the league in lineout takes (61), fourth in lineout steals (5), and 12th in made tackles (190)

Sheppard ranked sixth in the league in carries (150) and seventh in made tackles (197)

Mieres ranked seventh in the league in line breaks (12)

Moor ranked ninth in the league in line breaks (11), ninth in the league in tries scored (7), and 12th in the league in running metres (1036)

Toronto ranked second in the league in total tries scored (63) and in total points scored (472)

Toronto defeated its Texas counterpart twice in 2019, claiming a 23-19 victory in Austin nearly one year ago to the day (Feb. 8, 2019) to mark the Canadian franchise’s first-ever league win, followed by a 24-13 triumph in Toronto later in the season. Austin ended its 2019 league season as MLR’s ninth-place finishers, finishing its campaign with an 0-16 record.

The Arrows enter the match having finished their pre-season with a 33-5 victory over the Utah Warriors.

Saturday’s match will kick off at 8 p.m. ET.

Broadcast Details:

Canada

Television – TSN2

Streaming – TSN Direct

United States of America

Television – Fox Sports 2

International

Streaming – Toronto Arrows Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/TorontoArrows/)

The match can also be enjoyed amongst Arrows fans at the club’s Official Watch Party, held at Hemingway’s Restaurant and Bar – Toronto’s home of rugby.

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. Austin Gilgronis

1. Richie Asiata

2. Andrew Quattrin

3. Cole Keith

4. Mike Sheppard

5. Paul Ciulini

6. Tomy de la Vega

7. Lucas Rumball

8. Manuel Diana

9. Jamie Mackenzie

10. Tayler Adams

11. Gastón Mieres

12. Guiseppe du Toit

13. Ben LeSage

14. Dan Moor (C)

15. Sam Malcolm

16. Steven Ng

17. Pat Lynott

18. Tyler Rowland

19. Kolby Francis

20. Peter Milazzo

21. Andrew Ferguson

22. Mitch Richardson

23. Leandro Leivas

STAFF

Vice President & General Manager: Mark Winokur

Director of Rugby:Chris Silverthorn

Coaches: Aaron Carpenter, Cory Hector, Peter Smith

Performance Analyst: Rodin Lozada

Team Physicians: Dr. Anthony Dixon, Dr. Chris Gallimore, Dr. John Gillis

Athletic Therapist: Perry Fan

Physiotherapist: Rohit Rajput

About Toronto Arrows Rugby Football Club:

The Toronto Arrows Rugby Football Club is Canada’s first professional rugby union team.

Competing in Major League Rugby, the team is equipped to compete against top-tier North American club teams, providing emerging Canadian talent with enhanced and more frequent opportunities to hone their skills at an elite level.

For more information, visit https://torontoarrows.com/

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For more information, please contact:

Brock Smith

Communications Manager

Toronto Arrows

bsmith@torontoarrows.com

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