Di Nardo, Voralek Earn First Professional Starts in DC Clash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – Toronto Arrows Head Coach Peter Smith has named his starting lineup for Saturday’s home match against Old Glory DC.

The newly-signed Riley Di Nardo and Gord McRorie have been immediately called into action, with both scrum-halves named to the matchday 23.

Kyle Baillie, Jack McRogers, Tyler Rowland, and Mitch Voralek – all substitutes in last week’s homecoming match – draw into Saturday’s starting lineup, while Mitch Richardson shifts to outside centre to cover for the injured Ueta Tufuga.

Spencer Jones has been activated off the injured reserve and will look to make an impact off the bench.

Fourteen players are currently listed on the injured reserve and are unavailable for selection.

Squad Notes:

• Di Nardo will make his season debut as a starter
• McRorie is in contention to make his club debut off the bench
• Di Nardo, McRogers, Rowland, and Voralek will make their first starts of the season
• Twelve squad members are full Canadian internationals: Baillie (34 caps), Ciulini (8 caps), du Toit (14 caps), Jones (6 caps), Keith (24 caps), Kelly (1 cap), McRorie (45 caps), Nott (2 caps), Quattrin (13 caps), Rowland (6 caps), Rumball (43 caps), Sheppard (11 caps)
• Fourteen players are on the injured reserve and are unavailable for selection: Bell, Braude, Brown, de la Vega, Faust, A. Ferguson, B. Ferguson, Flesch, Hood, Mieres, Robinson-Bartlett, Tufuga, Wadden, Wainwright

The Arrows (4-4; 20 points) are undefeated against Old Glory (0-8; 3 points) in MLR play, with Toronto holding a 3-0 all-time record against DC. The Canadian side won 29-5 in Week 4 of this year, and earned two victories in the 2021 season. The Arrows also claimed a 47-17 win over Old Glory in 2022 preseason play.

Saturday’s game will kick off at 12 p.m. ET at York Lions Stadium, with tickets starting at $15.

The Eastern Conference tilt will feature on TSN2 and 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. Old Glory DC:

1. Cole Keith
2. Jack McRogers
3. Tyler Rowland
4. Mike Sheppard (C)
5. Paul Ciulini
6. Kyle Baillie
7. James O’Neill
8. Ronan Foley
9. Riley Di Nardo
10. Sam Malcolm
11. Mitch Voralek
12. Guiseppe du Toit
13. Mitch Richardson
14. John Sheridan
15. Conor McCann
16. Andrew Quattrin
17. Lolani Faleiva
18. Isaac Salmon
19. Lucas Rumball
20. Ollie Nott
21. Gord McRorie
22. Spencer Jones
23. Will Kelly

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/

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For more information, please contact:

Brock Smith
Communications Manager
Toronto Arrows
[email protected]

Header Photo Credit: Jose Romelo Lagman