Seven Debutants Named to Arrows Opening Day Lineup

UPDATE – FEB. 6, 2022

Brandan Ferguson has been declared a late scratch due to injury.

Mitch Voralek draws into the lineup at #23.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEATTLE, WA – Toronto Arrows Head Coach Peter Smith has named his starting lineup for Sunday’s season-opening match against the Seattle Seawolves.

Seven players are in contention to make their Arrows debut in Week 1; newcomers Kyle Baillie, Conor McCann, Isaac Salmon and Ueta Tufuga have been tabbed to start, while Lolani Faleiva, Brandan Ferguson and James O’Neill could earn appearances off the bench.

“Our guys are really excited to get cracking in on the season,” said Smith. “They’ve trained really well, have worked their asses off from day one of camp, and now I think the boys are ready to play and show that their hard work will be reflected into their performances on the field. We can’t wait to get out there and play.”

The Arrows will run out a heavily Canadian side for their season kickoff match at Seattle’s Starfire Sports Complex, with Smith selecting 12 full Canadian internationals to his matchday squad to face the club’s Western Conference rivals.

“We have never forgotten how it felt when Seattle knocked us out of the playoffs in 2019,” added Smith. “For us, it’s always a rivalry, and always a tough match playing in front of Seattle’s fans. It’s a rivalry based on our past, and what better opponent to face to open our season? We’ll use our rivalry as extra motivation to start the season strongly.”

Fourteen full internationals have been named to Toronto’s matchday squad, carrying a combined cap total of 256 matches.

Sunday’s match will mark the first time newly-announced captain Mike Sheppard will lead the team out for a MLR match. Vice captain Lucas Rumball will start alongside Sheppard, though fellow deputy Sam Malcolm has been ruled out of the season opener with a lower-body injury.

Squad Notes:

• Four new signings will make their Arrows debuts as starters: Baillie, McCann, Salmon, Tufuga
• Three new signings stand to make their Arrows debuts off the bench: Faleiva, B. Ferguson, O’Neill
• Twelve squad members are full Canadian internationals: Baillie (34 caps), Braude (8 caps), Ciulini (8 caps), A. Ferguson (10 caps), Flesch (2 caps), Jones (6 caps), Keith (24 caps), Kelly (1 cap), Quattrin (13 caps), Rowland (6 caps), Rumball (43 caps), Sheppard (11 caps)
• Two additional squad members are full internationals: de la Vega (12 caps; Argentina), Mieres (78 caps; Uruguay)

The Arrows defeated the Seawolves in the two sides’ lone meeting in 2021, with Toronto claiming a 52-7 ‘home’ victory in Atlanta. Toronto is currently on a two-match winning streak over Seattle, and is 3-2 all-time against the Western Conference side.

Toronto has a 1-2 record in historical Week 1 matches, with the lone win coming at Austin (38-10) in 2020.

Sunday’s game will kick off at 10 p.m. ET. The cross-conference tilt will stream on TSN.ca and the TSN App for Canadian audiences, and will be available on The Rugby Network for international audiences.

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. Seattle Seawolves:

1. Cole Keith
2. Andrew Quattrin
3. Isaac Salmon
4. Kyle Baillie
5. Mike Sheppard (C)
6. Tomy de la Vega
7. Lucas Rumball
8. Ronan Foley
9. Ross Braude
10. Will Kelly
11. Gaston Mieres
12. Spencer Jones
13. Ueta Tufuga
14. Mitch Richardson
15. Conor McCann
16. Jack McRogers
17. Lolani Faleiva
18. Tyler Rowland
19. Paul Ciulini
20. Mason Flesch
21. James O’Neill
22. Andrew Ferguson
23. Brandan Ferguson

About Toronto Arrows Rugby Football Club:

Established in 2018, the Toronto Arrows Rugby Football Club is Canada’s first and only 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/

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Brock Smith
Communications Manager
Toronto Arrows
[email protected]