Arrows Begin Season with Bonus-Point Road Win in Austin
10 February 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUSTIN, TX – The Toronto Arrows kicked off their second season in Major League Rugby by entering the win column on Sunday evening, taking down the Austin Gilgronis 38-10.
The match was barely into its second minute when No. 8 Manuel Diana muscled his way into the in-goal area, marking a debut try for the Uruguayan international, as well as a portent of things to come for the remainder of the game.
Austin scrum-half Marcelo Torrealba cut into the visitors’ lead with a penalty goal at the nine-minute mark, but the three-pointer was the lone entry on the host’s side of the scoresheet in the opening half.
Minutes later, on the heels of a dominant Toronto scrum and multiple Gilgronis infractions, match official Lex Weiner awarded a penalty try to the Arrows, which was followed by a Sam Malcolm penalty goal.
With their feet still on the gas pedal, the Arrows strung together a highlight-reel team try, playing several phases of well-worked, expansive rugby that ultimately led to a Dan Moor tally in the corner. Malcolm struck the sideline conversion to build Toronto’s lead to 24-3, a score that would carry into the interval.
It was more of the same coming out of halftime, with another scrum penalty providing scrum-half Jamie Mackenzie with an opening to tap quickly and scamper in for the bonus-point try.
Austin responded with a barging try from hooker Chris Schade at the hour mark, but a late insurance marker from substitute Peter Milazzo snuffed out any chance of a late comeback from the hosts.
“It was a solid start to our season, and any time we’re able to claim maximum points on the road, we’ll happily take it,” said Arrows Director of Rugby Chris Silverthorn. “Conditions made things a little slippery out there, as you could tell by the growing number of handling errors from both sides as the game went on, which helped to highlight some areas of our game that we’ll be looking to tighten up before we face Houston next weekend. Our players should enjoy the win in Austin, but our focus will quickly shift to the next job.”
The season-opening victory moves Toronto’s record to 1-0-0, and sees the club sitting second in the Eastern Conference; the NOLA Gold also earned a bonus-point win in the competition’s opening weekend, and possess the conference’s top spot with superior points differential (+33 compared to the Arrows’ +28).
Sunday’s game was the first of seven consecutive away matches for Canada’s first professional rugby union team. The club will then play seven of its final nine matches at home between April 4 and May 31 to close out its sophomore MLR regular season.
The Arrows enter round two of the season with a match against the 1-0-0 Houston SaberCats on Sunday, Feb. 16. The game will be played in Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium as part of the MLR Vegas Weekend.
Toronto Arrows Score Report
Tries: M. Diana (2), Penalty Try (14), D. Moor (27), J. Mackenzie (49), P. Milazzo (78)
Conversions: S. Malcolm 3 (3, 28, 50), T. Adams (79)
Penalty Goals: S. Malcolm (25)
Austin Gilgronis Score Report
Tries: C. Schade (59)
Conversions: M. Torrealba (60)
Penalty Goals: M. Torrealba (9)
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/
-30-
For more information, please contact:
Brock Smith
Communications Manager
Toronto Arrows
[email protected]
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Header Photo Credit: Norma Salinas
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