Mieres Returns as Arrows Look to Continue Winning Ways in Houston

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOUSTON, TX – Toronto Arrows Head Coach Peter Smith has named his starting lineup for Saturday’s away match against the Houston SaberCats.

Smith has made a couple of minor changes to last week’s victorious starting 15, with James O’Neill drawing in and Lucas Rumball shifting across the scrum to cover for the injured Kyle Baillie.

Gaston Mieres has been activated off the injured reserve and is set to feature in his first match since March 12. He’ll look to make an impact as a substitute alongside Adrian Wadden, who is returning from injury to suit up for his first game since March 19.

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

Squad Notes:

• Ciulini is tied for third in the league in attacking breakdown arrivals (219)
• Rumball is third in the league in defending breakdown arrivals (87)
• Sheppard is tied for third in the league in attacking breakdown arrivals (219); seventh in the league in carries (99)
• Quattrin is fourth in the league in carries (104)
• Malcolm is fifth in the league in goals (24); sixth in the league in points scored (61)
• Eleven squad members are full Canadian internationals: Ciulini (8 caps), du Toit (14 caps), Jones (6 caps), Keith (24 caps), Kelly (1 cap), McRorie (45 caps), Quattrin (13 caps), Rowland (6 caps), Rumball (43 caps), Sheppard (11 caps), Vikilani (7 caps)
• One additional squad member is a full international: Mieres (78 caps; Uruguay)
• Twelve players are on the injured reserve and are unavailable for selection: Baillie, Bell, Braude, Brown, de la Vega, Faust, A. Ferguson, B. Ferguson, Flesch, Hood, McCann, Robinson-Bartlett

The Arrows (6-4; 30 points) are undefeated against the SaberCats (5-5; 26 points) in MLR play, with Toronto holding a 4-0 all-time record against Houston. The Canadian outfit earned two victories over their Texan rivals in 2019, followed by one apiece in 2020 and 2021.

Saturday’s game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET at AVEVA Stadium. 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. Houston SaberCats:

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

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]

Header Photo Credit: Paris Malone