Toronto Arrows Announce Lineup for Houston Tilt

20 April 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – Toronto Arrows Director of Rugby Chris Silverthorn has named his starting lineup for Sunday’s home match against the Houston SaberCats.

Silverthorn has made six changes to his starting squad that featured in the club’s sold-out home opener against the NOLA Gold on April 7. Scrum-half Jamie Mackenzie, wing Leandro Leivas and fullback Theo Sauder have all earned their first starts of the season, while lock Kolby Francis, prop Cole Keith and No. 8 Marcello Wainwright have drawn back into the starting lineup.

Toronto’s squad features several Ontario-developed players: 17 of the 23 players named to the club’s matchday lineup started their rugby careers at Ontario clubs, with 11 different Ontario clubs represented. Three additional Canadian clubs are represented in the lineup, with two from British Columbia and one from New Brunswick.

“With seven matches left to play this season, our goal is to put as many wins on the board as possible,” said Silverthorn. “Each game is crucial in our hunt for a top-four finish, and we’re entering each week with the mindset that we’ll be taking as many points as possible. We want to make Toronto the toughest place for away teams to play in the league.”

The Arrows (4-5-0) enter the match coming off an unplanned bye week following the postponement of their match against Austin Elite Rugby on April 14. The game has been rescheduled for May 9. Toronto sits sixth in the league standings with 24 points.

Eleven full internationals have been named to Toronto’s matchday squad, carrying a combined cap total of 213 matches.

Houston (2-7-0) are on a two-game winless streak heading into Sunday’s match, and occupy the seventh spot in the league table with 11 points.

The two clubs met earlier this season, with Toronto earning a bonus-point victory (44-27) over the SaberCats in Houston.

“We’re taking the postponed game in stride, and treating it as an extra opportunity to rest up and prepare for this tough final stretch of the season,” added Silverthorn. “The players are itching to get back out there to get a win for our home fans.”

Squad Notes:

• Oitomen is ranked third in the lead in tries scored (6)
• Malcolm is ranked fourth in the league in points scored (94) and fifth in the league in goal kicking accuracy (80%)
• Brouwer is ranked sixth in the league in dominant tackles (13)
• Milazzo leads the league in lineout takes (38) and second in lineout steals (5)
• Moor is ranked ninth in the league in linebreaks (6)
• Toronto is ranked fifth in the league in total points scored (271) and fourth in the league in total tries scored (34)
• Ten squad members are full Canadian internationals: Brouwer (9 caps), du Toit (13 caps), Keith (12 caps), Lloyd (10 caps), Mackenzie (17 caps), Moonlight (23 caps), Moor (14 caps), Rumball (29 caps), Sauder (8 caps), Sheppard (5 caps)
• One squad member is a full Uruguayan international: Leivas (73 caps)
• Thirteen players selected to the starting 15 are Canadian; exceptions are Leivas (Uruguay) and Malcolm (New Zealand)

Sunday’s match kicks off at 2 p.m. EDT from York Alumni Stadium in Toronto. Tickets are available for purchase online and at the gate.

The game can also be watched live on GameTV and streamed live through the Arrows’ Facebook page.

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. Houston SaberCats

1. Rob Brouwer // Lindsay
2. Andrew Quattrin // Aurora Barbarians
3. Cole Keith // Belleisle Rovers
4. Mike Sheppard // Stoney Creek Camels
5. Kolby Francis // Brantford Harlequins
6. Lucas Rumball (C) // Balmy Beach
7. Peter Milazzo // Toronto Scottish
8. Marcello Wainwright // Toronto Scottish
9. Jamie Mackenzie // Balmy Beach
10. Sam Malcolm // Manawatu Turbos (New Zealand)
11. Leandro Leivas // Old Christians (Uruguay)
12. Guiseppe du Toit // UVic Vikes
13. Dan Moor (C) // Balmy Beach
14. Avery Oitomen // Oakville Crusaders
15. Theo Sauder // UBC Thunderbirds
16. Steven Ng // Barrhaven Scottish
17. Pat Lynott // Bytown Blues
18. Morgan Mitchell // Southland Stags (New Zealand)
19. Tom Van Horne // Brantford Harlequins
20. John Moonlight // Ajax Wanderers
21. Riley Di Nardo // Toronto Scottish
22. Kainoa Lloyd // Mississauga Blues
23. Shawn Windsor // Stoney Creek Camels

STAFF
Vice President & General Manager: Mark Winokur
Director of Rugby: Chris Silverthorn
Coaches: Aaron Carpenter, Cory Hector, Peter Smith
Performance Analyst: Rodin Lozada
Team Physicians: Dr. Anthony Dixon, Dr. Chris Gallimore, Dr. John Gillis
Athletic Therapist: Perry Fan

About Toronto Arrows Rugby Club:

The Toronto Arrows Rugby Club is Canada’s first professional rugby union team.

Competing in Major League Rugby, the team is equipped to compete against top-tier North American 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]

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Header Photo: Bob Rowland