Toronto Arrows Announce Lineup for Austin Clash

For Immediate Release

AUSTIN, TX – Toronto Arrows Director of Rugby Chris Silverthorn has named his starting lineup for tomorrow’s away clash with the Austin Gilgronis at Bold Stadium.

Seventeen Canadians have been included in Toronto’s 23-man lineup, with 11 featuring in the starting 15. No. 8 Siaki Vikilani will make his first start for the club, while wing John Sheridan is set to make his first appearance of 2021.

With both Cole Keith and Tyler Rowland ruled out due to injuries sustained in Week 12, prop Luke Schlotman earns a spot on the bench as an emergency loan from Rugby ATL.

Eleven full internationals have been named to the Arrows’ matchday squad, carrying a combined cap total of 272 matches.

Squad Notes:

• Diana is ranked 1st in MLR in carries (154), 6th in tackle breaks (39), 6th in carry metres (808), 8th in offloads (11)
• Rumball is ranked 1st in MLR in breakdown steals (20), 1st in defensive ruck arrivals (108), 3rd in attacking ruck arrivals (211), 5th in tackles (134), 7th in carries (105)
• de la Vega is ranked 2nd in MLR in tackles (138), 4th in defensive ruck arrivals (74), 5th in breakdown steals (6), 7th in lineout takes (43)
• LeSage is ranked 3rd in MLR in offloads (13), 6th in linebreaks (12)
• Mieres is ranked 3rd in MLR in offloads (13), 9th in linebreaks (10)
• Tuculet is ranked 8th in MLR in offloads (11)
• Six squad members are full Canadian internationals: Kelly (1 cap), LeSage (16 caps), Parfrey (32 caps), Quattrin (5 caps), Rumball (35 caps), Sheppard (11 caps)
• Three squad members are full Argentinian internationals: Cortes (5 caps), de la Vega (12 caps), Tuculet (56 caps)
• Two squad members are full Uruguayan internationals: Diana (27 caps), Mieres (72 caps)

Tomorrow’s match marks the fourth league meeting between Toronto and Austin. The Arrows were victorious in both 2019 fixtures, defeating the then-Elite 23-19 at Dell Diamond and 24-13 at Alumni Stadium; Toronto bested Austin again in the 2020 season-opener at Bold Stadium, 38-10.

The Gilgronis (6-5; 31 points) are coming off a 28-9 away win over Houston, while the Arrows (4-7; 23 points) are looking to bounce back after a 40-30 loss to San Diego at the Canadian side’s temporary home in Atlanta.

Saturday’s game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET. The cross-conference tilt will air on TSN2 / stream on TSN.ca and the TSN App for Canadian audiences, and will be available on The Rugby Network for American and international audiences. Full broadcast details can be found here.

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. Austin Gilgronis

1. Pat Lynott
2. Jack McRogers
3. Gaston Cortes
4. Mason Flesch
5. Mike Sheppard
6. Tomas de la Vega
7. Lucas Rumball (C)
8. Siaki Vikilani
9. Ross Braude
10. Will Kelly
11. Gaston Mieres
12. Spencer Jones
13. Ben LeSage (C)
14. John Sheridan
15. Joaquin Tuculet
16. Andrew Quattrin
17. Luke Schlotman
18. Marc-Antoine Ouellet
19. Adrian Wadden
20. Manuel Diana
21. Jason Higgins
22. Mitch Richardson
23. Pat Parfrey

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 professional 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]

Header Photo Credit: Norma Salinas