Toronto Arrows Announce Lineup for Utah Clash, Marking Final Regular Season Road Match of 2019

LINEUP UPDATE – 30 March 2019 / 10 a.m.

Kolby Francis has moved into the starting lineup at #8, and Tom Van Horne will be on the bench at #19. Jack Nay will not feature.

29 March 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO, ON – Toronto Arrows Director of Rugby Chris Silverthorn has named his starting lineup for Saturday’s away match against the Utah Warriors.

Silverthorn has made two changes to his starting squad that narrowly fell to Rugby United New York on March 15. Hooker Steven Ng will earn his first start of the season, while wing Avery Oitomen returns to the starting lineup after being deemed fully fit by club medical staff. 

The Arrows have also been boosted by the return of three Canadian internationals, with scrum-half Jamie Mackenzie, wing Kainoa Lloyd and fullback Theo Sauder all named to the bench. Thirteen full internationals have been named to Toronto’s matchday squad, carrying a combined cap total of 217 matches.

“We’re heading down to Utah with the goal of bringing our record back to .500, and to finish our long road trip on a positive note as we kick off our homestand,” said Silverthorn. “With all of our international players now back with the squad, the level of competition for spots has been fierce, and it’s helping push our guys to ensure they’re at the top of their game.”

The Arrows (3-4-0) enter the match coming off a bye week, which followed a 24-21 bonus-point loss to RUNY in mid-March. Toronto sits sixth in the league standings with 17 points.

Utah (1-4-1) head into Saturday’s game on a three-match losing skid, though two of the three losses were decided by narrow two-point margins. The Warriors currently occupy eighth spot in the league table with eight points.

“If you look at how close the scorelines have been across the league, there’s little margin for error for teams hoping to earn a spot in the playoffs,” added Silverthorn. “No match is an easy one, which speaks to the level of competition in this league. We’re looking forward to a good, physical game against a side that’s hungry to move up in the standings, and we’ll be up for it.”

Squad Notes:

• Mackenzie, McRogers and Sauder are in contention to make their league debuts off the substitutes’ bench
• Oitomen is ranked third in the league in tries scored (5)
• Malcolm is ranked fourth in the league in points scored (69) and fourth in the league in goal kicking accuracy (80%)
• Ciulini is ranked fifth in the league in made tackles (91)
• Milazzo leads the league in lineout steals (4), and is ranked second in the league in lineout takes (28)
• Toronto is ranked fifth in the league in total tries scored (21) and total points scored (176)
• Twelve squad members are full Canadian internationals: Brouwer (9 caps), Ciulini (8 caps), Dolezel (16 caps), du Toit (13 caps), Keith (12 caps), Ferguson (10 caps), Lloyd (10 caps), Mackenzie (17 caps), Moor (14 caps), Rumball (29 caps), Sauder (8 caps), Sheppard (5 caps)
• One squad member is a full Uruguayan international: Mieres (66 caps)
• Eleven players selected to the starting 15 are Canadian; exceptions are Malcolm (New Zealand), Mieres (Uruguay), Mitchell (New Zealand), and Nay (England)
• Average squad age is 24 years old

Saturday’s game is the eight consecutive away match for Canada’s first professional rugby union team, marking the club’s final road game of the regular season. Toronto will then play eight consecutive home matches between April 7 and June 2 to close out its regular season.

The match kicks off at 4 p.m. EDT from Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, UT. It can be watched live on GameTV, streamed live through the Arrows’ Facebook page, and enjoyed amongst Arrows fans at the club’s official watch party held at Toronto’s Irish Embassy Pub & Grill.

Toronto Arrows Lineup vs. Utah Warriors

1. Rob Brouwer
2. Steven Ng
3. Morgan Mitchell
4. Mike Sheppard
5. Paul Ciulini
6. Lucas Rumball (C)
7. Peter Milazzo
8. Jack Nay
9. Andrew Ferguson
10. Sam Malcolm
11. Dan Moor (C)
12. Guiseppe du Toit
13. Spencer Jones
14. Avery Oitomen
15. Gaston Mieres

16. Jack McRogers
17. Cole Keith
18. Tom Dolezel
19. Kolby Francis
20. Marcello Wainwright
21. Jamie Mackenzie
22. Kainoa Lloyd
23. Theo Sauder

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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