Arrows Announce Lineup for Critical Fire and Ice Cup Clash

News May-27-2022

Arrows Announce Lineup for Critical Fire and Ice Cup Clash

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATLANTA, GA – Toronto Arrows Head Coach Peter Smith has named his starting lineup for Saturday’s Fire and Ice Cup road clash with Rugby ATL.

Smith has left the starting lineup that defeated the league-leading New England Free Jacks last week largely intact, with just one personnel change to note: the freshly-activated Dennon Robinson-Bartlett returns from injury to earn his first start since Week 8’s win against New York, and Matt Hood shifts from wing to fullback.

Tomas de la Vega has also recovered from his upper-body injury and will look to make an impact off the bench.

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

Beyond its crucial playoff implications, Saturday’s match holds extra significance for the two sides, as it marks the 2022 edition of the Fire and Ice Cup. Serving as a commemoration of sportsmanship and unity through rugby, the Cup salutes the Arrows’ full season spent living away from home throughout 2021’s pandemic campaign, as well as Rugby ATL’s camaraderie in opening their doors to host their nomadic Canadian brothers.

Rugby ATL claimed the first Fire and Ice Cup with a narrow 33-29 victory at Life University last season. Saturday’s game represents the first opportunity for Toronto to exact revenge on Atlanta, as the Cup can only be reclaimed if won in the home stadium of the previous year’s winner.

Squad Notes:

Rumball is third in the league in defending breakdown arrivals (112)
Sheppard is third in the league in attacking breakdown arrivals (286); eighth in the league in carries (120)
Malcolm is fourth in the league in goals (31); fourth in the league in points scored (79)
Ciulini is fifth in the league in attacking breakdown arrivals (281)
Quattrin is fifth in the league in carries (137)
Ten squad members are full Canadian internationals: Baillie (34 caps), Braude (8 caps), Ciulini (8 caps), du Toit (14 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)
Ten players are on the injured reserve and are unavailable for selection: Bell, Brown, Faust, A. Ferguson, B. Ferguson, Flesch, Jones, Mieres, Richardson, Vikilani

The Arrows (8-6; 45 points) hold a 1-3 all-time record against Rugby ATL (9-5; 47 points), with the Georgian side eking out a narrow win at York Lions Stadium earlier this year in the two teams’ most recent clash. Toronto claimed the lone meeting in 2020 before the American outfit earned two victories over the displaced Canadians in 2021.

The Eastern Conference tilt will feature on TSN4 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. Rugby ATL:

Cole Keith
Andrew Quattrin
Isaac Salmon
Adrian Wadden
Mike Sheppard (C)
Kyle Baillie
Lucas Rumball
Ronan Foley
Ross Braude
Sam Malcolm
Dennon Robinson-Bartlett
Guiseppe du Toit
Ueta Tufuga
John Sheridan
Matt Hood
Jack McRogers
Lolani Faleiva
Tyler Rowland
Paul Ciulini
Tomas de la Vega
Sam Reimer
Will Kelly
Mitch Voralek

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: Kyle Gilmor