Toronto Arrows
Toronto Arrows R.F.C. is a rugby union club based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that plays in Major League Rugby.[2] The Arrows team is an independent off-shoot of the Ontario Blues provincial programme and is funded by a group of private investors and supporters.[3] The team splits its home games between Alumni Field of York University and Lamport Stadium for its inaugural 2019 MLR season.[4]
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| Full name | Toronto Arrows |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Arrows |
| Founded | Ontario Arrows 2017–2018 Toronto Arrows 2018–present[1] |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Ground(s) | Alumni Field Lamport Stadium |
| President | Bill Webb |
| Coach(es) | Chris Silverthorn |
| Captain(s) | Dan Moor, Lucas Rumball |
| Top scorer | Sam Malcolm (194) |
| Most tries | Dan Moor (11) |
| League(s) | Major League Rugby |
| 2019 | 3rd placed (regular season) |
| Official website | |
| torontoarrows | |
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History
The team was founded as the Ontario Arrows in 2017 with the intent of joining the Major League Rugby (MLR) competition for the 2019 season.[5][6][7][8] The Arrows debuted September 9, 2017, in a match against the Glendale Merlins losing 41–7.[9]
In spring 2018, the Arrows played a six-game exhibition schedule against the Houston SaberCats, Rugby United New York, Utah Warriors, and Boston's Mystic River Rugby Club. The schedule was extended to include games against the Canada Selects.[10] The 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.[11] In November 2018, MLR announced that the Arrows had joined the league for the 2019 season. At the same time, the Ontario Arrows changed their name to the Toronto Arrows.[12] The ownership group is led by Bill Webb, partner and chief investment officer at Waypoint Investment Partners. The ownership group also includes the former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs Brian Burke, Boat Rocker Sports (a division of Boat Rocker Media), Duncan McNaughton, an assistant coach with the Canadian women's team and the Queen's University men, Kevin Reed of AR3 Capital, and John Ferraro of Mass Marketing Inc.[13] As MLR operates as a single entity league, the ownership group purchased an equity stake in the league, at the cost of a few million dollars, and received operating rights to a franchise in the Toronto market.[13][14] The team splits its 2019 home games between Alumni Field of York University and Lamport Stadium.[4]
Broadcasts
For 2019, home games were shown on GameTV. Lincoln Rose and Kit McConnico were the on-air talent.
For 2020, TSN was announced as the Arrows broadcast partner.[15] Following the cancellation of the 2020 Major League Rugby season, TSN produced a 10-episode series, showing 60-minute highlights from chosen Arrows games, called "Arrows in an Hour."[16]
Sponsorship
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | XBlades | Waypoint Investment Partners |
| 2019 | Honda | |
| 2020–present | Paladin Sports | Honda |
Players and personnel
Current squad
The following players have been reported for Toronto for the 2020 season:[17][18]
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under WR eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-WR nationality.
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- Internationally capped players in bold.
Coaching Staff
- Chris Silverthorn — Director of Rugby
- Aaron Carpenter — Coach
- Cory Hector — Coach
- Peter Smith — Coach
Staff
- Mark Winokur — Vice President and General Manager
- Rodin Lozada — Performance Analyst
- Sean Harrison — Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Jeff Watson — Strength and Conditioning Coach
Records
Season standings
| Year | Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3rd | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 472 | 362 | +110 | 13 | 57 | Lost semi-final 17-30 to Seattle Seawolves |
Honors
- Major League Rugby
- Playoff appearances: 2019
2018 season (exhibition)
All games in the 2018 season were exhibition games and did not count in the league standings.
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 3 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Constellation Field | Draw, 28–28 |
| March 17 | Rugby United New York | Away | Mazzella Field | Lost, 19–36 |
| April 6 | Utah Warriors | Away | Rio Tinto Stadium | Won, 24–20 |
| April 14 | Rugby United New York | Home | York Alumni Stadium | Cancelled due to weather |
| April 21 | Mystic River Rugby Club | Away | Pine Banks Park | Won, 29–19 |
| May 5 | Mystic River Rugby Club | Home | York Alumni Stadium | Won, 77–8 |
| May 18 | Canada Selects | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 0–19 |
| May 26 | Canada Selects | Away | Westhills Stadium | Lost, 28–58 |
2019 season
Exhibition
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 16, 2018 | Glendale Raptors | Home | York Lions Stadium | Won, 40–18 |
| October 20, 2018 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Wanderers Grounds | Won, 40–14 |
| January 12, 2019 | Rugby United New York | Neutral | Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse | Postponed |
| May 18, 2019 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Brophy Field at Dartmouth’s Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse | Postponed |
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 26 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Eagle Athletic Facility | Lost, 31-36 |
| February 8 | Austin Elite | Away | Dell Diamond | Won, 23-19 |
| February 17 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Stadium | Lost, 30-35 |
| February 22 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Aveva Stadium | Won, 44-27 |
| March 2 | Glendale Raptors | Away | Infinity Park | Lost, 0-22 |
| March 10 | San Diego Legion | Away | Torero Stadium | Won, 27-20 |
| March 15 | Rugby United New York | Away | MCU Park | Lost, 21-24 |
| March 30 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Won, 64–31 |
| April 7 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Alumni Field | Lost, 31–35 |
| April 21 | Houston SaberCats | Home | Alumni Field | Won, 35-21 |
| April 28 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Alumni Field | Won, 29-7 |
| May 5 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lamport Stadium | Won, 23–19 |
| May 9 | Austin Elite | Home | Alumni Field | Won, 24–13 |
| May 12 | Utah Warriors | Home | Lamport Stadium | Won, 28–21 |
| May 26 | Glendale Raptors | Home | Lamport Stadium | Won, 40–12 |
| June 2 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lamport Stadium | Won, 22-20 |
Post season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 9 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports | Loss, 17-30 |
2020 season
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [19] On March 19, 2020, MLR announced that they had cancelled the season, and all remaining games for 2020. [20]
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 9 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Circuit of the Americas | Won, 38-10 |
| February 16 | Houston SaberCats | Neutral | Sam Boyd Stadium | Won, 27-22 |
| February 22 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Starfire Sports Complex | Won, 39-17 |
| March 1 | Rugby ATL | Away | Life University Running Eagles Stadium | Won, 28-18 |
| March 6 | Colorado Raptors | Away | Infinity Park | Lost, 19-22 |
| March 22 | Rugby United New York | Away | MCU Park | Cancelled |
| March 28 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Gold Mine | |
| April 4 | Utah Warriors | Home | York Alumni Stadium | |
| April 11 | New England Free Jacks | Home | York Alumni Stadium | |
| April 19 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lamport Stadium | |
| April 26 | Old Glory DC | Away | Cardinal Stadium | |
| May 1 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Lamport Stadium | |
| May 10 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lamport Stadium | |
| May 18 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Union Point Sports Complex | |
| May 22 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lamport Stadium | |
| May 30 | Old Glory DC | Home | Lamport Stadium | |
References
- "MLR Announces Additions of Toronto and Washington, D.C." usmlr.com. Major League Rugby. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- "Major League Rugby adds Ontario Arrows for 2019". Americas Rugby News. September 25, 2018. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- "Ontario Arrows: The Rise of Canada's Next-Gen High Performance Team". Aedelhard. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "Toronto Arrows Announce Ticketing Details, Home Venues for 2019 Major League Rugby Season". Toronto Arrows. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
- "New York and Ontario in Major League Rugby talks". November 13, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "Ontario Arrows to launch Elite Rugby Team in September". August 25, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- Davidson, Neil (September 8, 2017). "Ontario Arrows take first step toward becoming pro rugby outfit". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "MLR reveals Finals Locations and Expansion Plans". March 7, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "Glendale gets even with Ontario - Americas Rugby News". www.americasrugbynews.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "Ontario Arrows score 12 tries in 77-8 win over Boston Mystics". djcoilrugby. May 5, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- "RELEASE: Ontario Arrows Planning Major League Rugby Entry for 2019". Ontario Arrows. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- "Toronto Arrows will join Major League Rugby". Toronto Star. November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- CAMPBELL, MORGAN (December 11, 2018). "Expansion Toronto Arrows join Major League Rugby with optimism and business savvy". Toronto Star. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
- "Toronto Arrows Announce TSN as 2020 Media Partner". Toronto Arrows. February 20, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- "Toronto Arrows Media Partner TSN to Deliver New 'Arrows in an Hour' Series". Toronto Arrows. May 28, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- "Arrows re-sign 10 and add South American duo". August 1, 2019.
- "Arrows re-sign six, add international trio". August 30, 2019.
- "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS". Major League Rugby. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY HAS DECIDED TO CANCEL THE REMAINDER OF THE 2020 SEASON AND TURN ATTENTION TO 2021". Major League Rugby. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
