Ontario Arrows

Ontario Arrows
Full name Ontario Arrows
Nickname(s) Arrows
Founded 2017
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Ground(s) York Lions Stadium, York University (Capacity: 3700 [1])
President Bill Webb
Coach(es) Chris Silverthorn
Captain(s) Mike Sheppard
League(s) Major League Rugby
Official website
ontarioarrowsrugby.com

The Ontario Arrows is a rugby union club based out of Toronto in Canada that will play in Major League Rugby as of 2019.[2]. The Arrows team is an independent off-shoot of the Ontario Blues Rugby Football Club and is funded by a group of private investors and supporters.[3] The team's home field is York Lions Stadium on the Keele Campus of York University.

History

The Ontario Arrows team was founded in 2017 with the intent of joining the Major League Rugby competition for the 2019 season.[4][5][6][7]

The Arrows debuted September 9, 2017 in a match against the Glendale Merlins, suffering a loss of 41–7.[8]

In Spring 2018 the Ontario Arrows established a 6 game exhibition match schedule that would see them play the Houston SaberCats, Rugby United New York, Utah Warriors, and Boston's Mystic River Rugby Club. This line up was extended to include games against the Canada Selects.[9] The Ontario Arrows' 2018 home opener was a decided victory over the Mystic River Rugby Club.

In July 2018 the Arrows announced that MLR had granted them exclusive rights to negotiate for a franchise in Ontario.[10] MLR commissioner Dean Howes officially welcomed the Ontario Arrows to Major League Rugby in September 2018, ahead of the team joining the league for the 2019 season.[2]

Current Squad

The Ontario Arrows lineup for 2018 as of September 29, 2017: [11]

Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.

Player Position Union
Martial Lagain Hooker Canada Canada
Jack McRogers Hooker Canada Canada
A.J. Quattrin Hooker Canada Canada
Cam Sandison Hooker Canada Canada
Rob Brouwer Prop Canada Canada
Pat Lynott Prop Canada Canada
Tom Dolezel Prop Canada Canada
Mike Smith Prop Canada Canada
Paul Ciulini Lock Canada Canada
Josh van Horne Lock Canada Canada
Tom van Horne Lock Canada Canada
Peter Milazzo Flanker Canada Canada
Mike Sheppard Flanker Canada Canada
Marcello Wainwright Flanker Canada Canada
Kolby Francis Number 8 Canada Canada
Andrew Wilson Number 8 Canada Canada
Player Position Union
Andrew Ferguson Scrum-half Canada Canada
Alex Gliksten Scrum-half England England
Mario van der Westhuizen Scrum-half Canada Canada
Will Kelly Fly-half Canada Canada
Shawn Windsor Fly-half Canada Canada
Kyle Lagasca Centre Canada Canada
Jamie Leveridge Centre Canada Canada
Mitch Richardson Centre Canada Canada
Jon West Centre Canada Canada
Josh Campbell Wing Canada Canada
Kainoa Lloyd Wing Canada Canada
Johnny Sheridan Wing Canada Canada
Cooper Coats Fullback Canada Canada
Aaron McLelland Fullback New Zealand New Zealand

Coaching Staff

  • Chris Silverthorn (Head Coach)
  • David Butcher (Assistant Coach)
  • Aaron Carpenter (Assistant Coach)
  • Cory Hector (Assistant Coach)

Staff

  • Mark Winokur (General Manager)
  • Rodin Lozada (Performance Analyst)
  • Chris Kelly (Athletic Therapist)
  • Dr. John Gillis (Team Doctor)

2018 Season (Exhibition)

Spring

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResultW/L/D
2018-03-03Houston SaberCatsAwayConstellaton Field28-28D
2018-03-17Rugby United New YorkAwayMazzella Field19-36L
2018-04-06Utah WarriorsAwayRio Tinto Stadium24-20W
2018-04-14Rugby United New YorkHomeYork Alumni StadiumP-P-
2018-04-21Boston MysticsAwayPine Banks Park29-19W
2018-05-05Boston MysticsHomeYork Alumni Stadium77-8W
2018-05-18Canada SelectsHomeYork Lions Stadium19-0L
2018-05-26Canada SelectsAwayWesthills Stadium58-28L

2019 Season

Fall (Exhibition)

DateOpponentHome/AwayLocationResultW/L/D
2018-09-16Glendale RaptorsHomeYork Lions Stadium40-18W
2018-10-20New England Free JacksHomeWanderers Grounds

[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Ontario Arrows announce York University as 2018 home venue". Rugby Canada. 2018-03-06. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  2. 1 2 "Major League Rugby adds Ontario Arrows for 2019". Americas Rugby News. 2018-09-25. Archived from the original on 2019-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  3. ↑ "Ontario Arrows: The Rise of Canada's Next-Gen High Performance Team". Aedelhard. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  4. ↑ "New York and Ontario in Major League Rugby talks". 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  5. ↑ "Ontario Arrows to launch Elite Rugby Team in September". 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  6. ↑ Davidson, Neil (2017-09-08). "Ontario Arrows take first step toward becoming pro rugby outfit". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  7. ↑ "MLR reveals Finals Locations and Expansion Plans". 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  8. ↑ "Glendale gets even with Ontario - Americas Rugby News". www.americasrugbynews.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  9. ↑ "Ontario Arrows score 12 tries in 77-8 win over Boston Mystics". djcoilrugby. 2018-05-05. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
  10. ↑ "RELEASE: Ontario Arrows Planning Major League Rugby Entry for 2019". Ontario Arrows. 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  11. 1 2 "2018 Major League Rugby - Ontario Arrows - Americas Rugby News". www.americasrugbynews.com. Retrieved 2018-05-08.
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