Arrows Move into Playoff Position with Convincing Win over Glendale

26 May 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – The Toronto Arrows defeated the Glendale Raptors 40-12 on Sunday afternoon, scoring six tries en route to the club’s sixth consecutive league victory.

A brace of tries from fullback Gaston Mieres helped guide the Arrows to the crucial bonus-point win, moving the team to third place in the Major League Rugby standings and back into a playoff position.

Toronto’s pack was dominant throughout the entire afternoon, allowing the home side to be rewarded for its high work rate both early and often.

The dividends began paying off almost immediately as the Arrows opened the scoring five minutes into the match through Morgan Mitchell; the hard-nosed prop drove through three would-be tacklers before scoring his second try in as many matches.

Glendale responded shortly afterwards through a try from Carlo de Nysschen, and temporarily pulled ahead following Will Magie’s conversion.

The Raptors’ lead would be short-lived. Four minutes later, Mieres scored his first try of the afternoon after finding a gap in Glendale’s defensive line and racing into the corner for a superb solo try. Sam Malcolm’s attempt at extra points from just inside the touch line was deftly struck, marking the first of five conversions he’d kick on the day.

With the Arrows on the front foot for the remainder of the half, Luke Campbell barged over in the 27th minute, picking and driving to finish off some strong work from his fellow forwards while scoring his first try for the club.

Mieres added his second try of the half six minutes prior to the interval, and it came via another highlight-reel run; the Uruguayan sped through the Raptors’ defensive line and ghosted through the cover for the all-important bonus-point try, as well as his fifth tally of the season.

The visitors started the second half brightly, scoring six minutes after the restart through a darting run from Mika Kruse, though it would be as close as Glendale would come to mounting a comeback.

Regaining control of possession and marching back into Raptors territory, Andrew Ferguson responded by dodging a tackle and sneaking through the line to open Toronto’s second-half account.

With the Arrows’ defensive ranks snuffing out any and all glimmers of an attacking spark from the visitors, Tom Van Horne added a late insurance marker in the 66th minute when he muscled across for his first try of the season.

Toronto continued to rebuke Glendale’s probes throughout the latter stages of the match, completing the 28-point win and ensuring maximum points were banked.

“This was one of our most complete matches of the season,” said Arrows Director of Rugby Chris Silverthorn. “We stuck to our systems, responded well to adversity, and took our chances when they came our way. Our guys prepared well for today’s match, and fought hard to earn all five points.”

The victory improves Toronto’s record to 10-5-0, and puts the expansion club back into a playoff position with one match remaining in its 2019 campaign. Since the Arrows began their homestand on April 7, the club has taken 31 of a possible 35 points.

The Raptors’ loss drops the club’s record to 7-6-2, and eliminates the 2018 MLR Championship finalists from playoff contention.

“Six wins in a row is a testament to how hard our guys have worked this year, but the job isn’t done yet,” added Silverthorn. “At the beginning of the season, we set high goals for ourselves, and we’re going to do everything we can to achieve them. We have a group of guys that won’t quit, and with everything still to play for, we’ll bring that workmanlike mentality into the final week of the season.”

The Arrows enter round 18 of the season with a home match against Rugby United New York (11-4-0) on Sunday, June 2 at Lamport Stadium. The two sides go into the match deadlocked at 53 points, though New York holds a positional advantage in the standings with the greater number of wins.

The winner of Sunday’s match will guarantee themselves a playoff berth, and depending upon results from elsewhere in the league, they may also land a home fixture in the opening round of the MLR Championship series.

Match tickets can be purchased at torontoarrows.com/tickets.

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Toronto Arrows Score Report

Tries: G. Mieres 2 (16, 34), M. Mitchell (5), L. Campbell (27), A. Ferguson (54), T. van Horne (66)
Conversions: S. Malcolm 5 (17, 27, 35, 55, 67)

Glendale Raptors Score Report

Tries: C. de Nysschen (12), M. Kruse (46)
Conversions: W. Magee (13)

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. Glendale Raptors

1. Rob Brouwer // Lindsay
2. Andrew Quattrin // Aurora Barbarians
3. Morgan Mitchell // Southland Stags (New Zealand)
4. Mike Sheppard // Stoney Creek Camels
5. Paul Ciulini // Aurora Barbarians
6. John Moonlight // Ajax Wanderers
7. Peter Milazzo // Toronto Scottish
8. Luke Campbell // James Bay
9. Andrew Ferguson // Oakville Crusaders
10. Sam Malcolm // Manawatu Turbos (New Zealand)
11. Leandro Leivas // Old Christians (Uruguay)
12. Guiseppe du Toit // UVic Vikes
13. Spencer Jones // Hamilton Old Boys (New Zealand)
14. Dan Moor (C) // Balmy Beach
15. Gaston Mieres // Lobos (Uruguay)

16. Steven Ng // Barrhaven Scottish
17. Pat Lynott // Bytown Blues
18. Cole Keith // Belleisle Rovers
19. Tom Van Horne // Brantford Harlequins
20. Marcello Wainwright // Toronto Scottish
21. Riley Di Nardo // Toronto Scottish
22. Pat Parfrey // Swilers
23. Kainoa Lloyd // Mississauga Blues

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 Therapists: Perry Fan, Scott Shannon
Physiotherapist: Rohit Rajput

About Toronto Arrows Rugby Club:

The Toronto Arrows Rugby 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
[email protected]

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Header Photo Credit: José Romelo Lagman