Team

Sheppard, 33, is returning to the Arrows for a fifth campaign after featuring in 46 matches (39 starts) for the club since its inaugural season in 2019.

The 2022 club captain notably leads the franchise in all-time carries (381) and dominant tackles (29), and his 10 tries are the most amongst forwards in club history. Sheppard has also accumulated 1,732 carry metres, 470 tackles (85.6% completion), 14 tackle breaks, 10 offloads, and six linebreaks over his four years with the team.

The six-foot-three, 240-pound forward’s performances throughout the club’s inaugural season landed him a spot on the All-MLR 1st XV in 2019.

Sheppard has earned 11 caps for Canada since making his international debut against Kenya in November 2018, starting five matches and scoring one try. He represented Canada at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Arrow #5 is a graduate of the Ontario Blues senior men’s provincial program and the McMaster Marauders post-secondary program, and played his grassroots rugby with the Brampton Beavers and Stoney Creek Camels.

Updated: Aug. 17, 2022