Arrows Make First Trip to Chicago
The Toronto Arrows will make their first trip to the Windy City as they battle the Chicago Hounds for the first time. Both the Arrows and the MLR’s newest expansion team have gotten off to a shaky start and will be seeking their first win of 2023.
Starting XV
Toronto
The Arrows have found themselves in a bit of injury trouble to start the season. In their 39-3 loss to the New York Ironworkers in week 2, both Sam Malcolm and Shane O’Leary were out with injuries leaving Mitch Richardson to play flyhalf for the first time in his professional career. The bye week seems to have done the Arrows some favours as Sam Malcolm returns to the lineup. However, Richardson will find himself on the wing to make room for Irish international Noel Reid, who will make his Arrows debut in the midfield alongside Tautalatasi Tasi.
Peter Smith will deploy a new starting front row featuring Lolani Faleiva, Ramon Ayarza, and Tyler Rowland. Adrian Wadden will also get his first start of 2023 as Micaiah Torrence-Read finds himself on the injured list. Finally, Avery Oitomen will make his first start for the club since 2019.
On the bench, Will Grant is set to make his Arrows debut and Owain Ruttan, the 5th overall pick in the 2022 MLR draft, is set to make his professional debut.
Chicago
Sam Harris’ side will get a big boost this weekend as 2022 MLR Back of the Year Billy Meakes makes his season debut. He will be a part of a loaded Hounds’ backline that also features USA Eagles captain Bryce Campbell, Mark O’Keefe, and J.P. Eloff. Representing Canada will be hooker Lindsey Stevens. Stevens is coming off a solid game last week against Utah were he replaced Hugh Roach in the 9th minute after Roach suffered an injury. Stevens was among the Hounds’ top ball carriers and tacklers against Utah and will be looking for another big performance this week.
Player to Watch
This is one of those games where it feels nearly impossible to choose just one player for this section. After some careful deliberation, I have decided my player to watch will be hooker Ramon Ayarza, who will be making his first MLR start. Over the course of a frustrating game against New York, Ayarza shined and made a huge impact for the Arrows. Ayarza was a force with ball in hand as he made a team leading 12 carries for 81 metres after entering the game early in the 2nd half. His carries frequently left a handful of Ironworkers in his wake and made he made some great offloads to put the Arrows on the front foot. He will be in the starting front row with Faleiva, who has also been know to have his fair share of stampeding runs. The two could form a nice attacking combination as the Arrows look to breakdown the Chicago defence. Ayarza will be looking to use his 2023 MLR campaign to earn a spot in Chile’s Rugby World Cup squad and a great performance against Chicago is the perfect opportunity for him to raise his hand.
Storylines
Reid vs Meakes
This match features and absolutely huge matchup in the 12 jersey. Since entering the league in 2021 Billy Meakes has arguably been the MLR’s best player. He was an integral part of the LA Giltinis’ Shield winning season and won the MLR’s Back of the Year Award in 2021 and 2022. Like many players on LA and Austin, he has landed in Chicago for the 2023 season. However, Meakes has missed the first two games of the year as he arrived late to squad. Meakes will look to get his season off to a great start as he begins his quest for a third straight Back of the Year title.
Meakes’ opposite number will be Noel Reid. The 32-year-old Irish international was one of the Arrows’ biggest off-season acquisitions. Reid brings a wealth of experience to the club having played 120 games for Leinster and added plenty more with the Leicester Tigers, Agen, and the London Irish. Unfortunately, Reid spent the first two weeks of the season on the injury/recovery list. Reid will need to have a big game as the Arrows’ look to get their attack going. It will be a big test as he goes head to head with Meakes in what will certainly be an entertaining match up.
The Attack
Through the first two games, the Arrows have only managed to score 13 points, with Richardson picking up their only try in those games. The 13 point total is by far the lowest in MLR after 2 games. In the first matchup with Atlanta, the attack was stagnant and a good Atlanta defence had an answer for nearly every question the Arrows’ asked. The Arrows’ struggled to get past Atlanta’s line speed until O’Leary kicked over top of it for the Richardson try. Against New York, injuries forced a few players to play out of position and the attack never got going. With Malcolm returning to the 10 jersey, Reid making his debut, plenty of speed on the wings, and stampeding carriers in the pack, the Arrows will need to find a spark to ignite their attack.
Don’t Go 0-3
This one is simple. An 0-3 start is a hole that can be difficult to climb out of. The Hounds have a roster essentially constructed from two of the top team’s in the league (pre-DQ) last year, but they don’t look like they have gelled quite yet. The Arrows have also welcomed plenty of new players to the squad this year and injuries have kept a few big acquisitions out of the lineup. Ultimately, this match presents a big opportunity for both clubs to get their season back on track.
The Arrows will make their first trip to SeatGeek Stadium in search of their first win against the Chicago Hounds at 8pm ET on Saturday night! You can watch the game on TSN+, TSN.ca, the TSN app, and The Rugby Network. You can follow along on social media @bressettethejet or @lerougerugby.