Trio Set for First Starts as Arrows Welcome Free Jacks to YLS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – Toronto Arrows Head Coach Peter Smith has named his starting lineup for Saturday’s home clash against the New England Free Jacks.

The tight five remains intact week over week, and it’s minor alterations across the back row: Mason Flesch returns from the injured reserve to start at blindside flanker, and captain Lucas Rumball shifts from No. 8 to his primary openside flanker role. Shay Kerry will fill the gap at the back of the scrum, marking his first start for the club.

Mitch Richardson slides from the wing to outside centre, with Dawson Fatoric and Peter Nelson tabbed to make their first club starts at wing and fullback, respectively.

The bench features Connor Grindal, who is in contention to make his Arrows debut, as well as Mitch Eadie, who is back to full fitness.

The Arrows (1-6; 8 points) hold a 1-3 all-time record against the Free Jacks (5-2; 25 points); the Massachusetts outfit swept the season series in 2021 before the two teams shared the spoils with a home victory apiece last year.

Saturday’s game will kick off at 6 p.m. ET from York Lions Stadium, with tickets starting at $20. A curtain raiser between the Arrows Academy and the Quebec Senior Men — the Academy program’s season opener — will be played at 3 p.m. ET across the road at Alumni Stadium.

The Eastern Conference clash will be shown on TSN2, TSN.ca, and the TSN app for Canadian audiences, and will be available on The Rugby Network for American and international audiences. Additional broadcast details.

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. New England Free Jacks:

1. Ramon Ayarza
2. Gene Syminton
3. Lolani Faleiva
4. Mike Sheppard (VC)
5. Adrian Wadden
6. Mason Flesch
7. Lucas Rumball (C)
8. Shay Kerry
9. Ross Braude
10. Shane O’Leary
11. Dawson Fatoric
12. Noel Reid
13. Mitch Richardson
14. D’Shawn Bowen
15. Peter Nelson
16. Jack McRogers
17. Connor Grindal
18. Nik Hildebrand
19. Mitch Eadie
20. James O’Neill
21. Will Grant
22. Fabian Goodall [wearing no number]
23. Kobe Faust

Injury / Recovery List: Ciaran Breen, Cole Davis, Travis Larsen, Sam Malcolm, Conan O’Donnell, Avery Oitomen, Tyler Rowland, Isaac Salmon, Tautalatasi Tasi, Corey Thomas

Long-Term Injured Reserve: Nic Benn, Micaiah Torrance-Read

Squad Notes:

• Dawson Fatoric, Shay Kerry and Peter Nelson are set to make their first starts for the club
• Connor Grindal stands to make his Arrows debut off the bench
• Eight squad members are full Canadian internationals: Ross Braude (12 caps), Dawson Fatoric (2 caps), Mason Flesch (2 caps), Jack McRogers (1 cap), Peter Nelson (15 caps), Shane O’Leary (14 caps), Lucas Rumball (47 caps), Mike Sheppard (11 caps)
• Ramon Ayarza (12 caps) is a full Chilean international
• Noel Reid (1 cap) is a full Irish international

Week 9 Milestone Watch:

• 200 – The club is two tries away (198) from reaching 200 total tries scored in MLR play
• 600 – Lucas Rumball is one tackle away (599) from becoming the 1st Arrow to reach this career milestone
• 1,000 – Mason Flesch is 42 minutes away from reaching 1,000 in his MLR career
• 1,500 – Adrian Wadden is 59 minutes away from reaching 1,500 in his MLR career

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: Kyle Gilmor