Arrows Battle Injuries & Warriors
The Toronto Arrows make the trip to the picturesque Zions Bank Stadium in Utah to battle the Warriors. Both teams are coming off heavy losses with the Arrows falling to DC 29-3 and Utah dropping a game to the resurgent NOLA Gold 37-14 in week 5. Adding to the fun, it looks like there may be a bit of snow in the forecast.
Starting XV
Toronto
There are plenty of big storylines to follow regarding this Arrows’ lineup. The biggest is obviously the growing injury list. The Arrows find themselves without forwards Corey Thomas, Micaiah Torrance-Read, and Travis Larsen, and without backs Nic Benn, Ciaran Breen, Cole Davis, Shane O’Leary, Noel Reid, Mitch Richardson, and Tautalatasi Tasi. The size of the injury list has forced the Arrows hand in a number of areas. First, they have called up Brenden Black and Hank Stevenson from the High Performance Academy. Black will start at fullback and is slated to become the yonugest player to ever start an MLR game. Stevenson will be on the bench ready to make his MLR debut.
The next big change is that all the injuries to the backs have forced Mitch Eadie to start at inside centre. Eadie of course is typically a No.8 and will be playing his first game ever at the inside centre position. Which leads into another concern; the bench.
There will be only two backs on the bench in Will Grant and Cole Brown. Both of them are scrumhalves. One is likely to replace Ross Braude at some point, but the other will be forced to cover a different position. The six forwards on the bench feature four front rowers and two rookies who have a combined 6 minutes played in MLR.
Additional notes: Mike Sheppard will become the clubs all-time leader in caps as he plays his 51st. The Arrows continue a battle with jersey sizes meaning Ramon Ayarza will wear 5, Adrian Wadden will wear 2, Mitch Eadie will wear 20, Owain Ruttan will wear 12, and Fabian Goodall will wear his trademark no number.
Utah
The Utah Warriors have made plenty of changes to their lineup following a tough loss to NOLA last week. The biggest change (from the point of view of a Canadian rugby podcast/blog) is that Emerson Prior draws back into the lineup. The Warriors used their 3rd round selection in the 2021 draft to select the loosehaed prop out of Trent University. This match will mark Prior’s 3rd appearance this year and 2nd start. Fun stat, the Warriors (2-2-0) have not lost with Prior in the lineup this year, providing a lot of evidence to back up the long standing Le Rouge Rugby theory that if you play your Canadians, you win! Although, hopefully not today.
Prior will be joined in the front row by Joey Backe and Angus MacLellan. Other big names in the Warriors starting XV include Jurie van Vuuren, Lance Williams, Tyler Fisher, Mika Kruse, and Caleb Makene. The bench features Olive Kilifi, Saia Uhila, and Paul Lasike.
Player to Watch
Two names really jump out for this segment as Brenden Black makes his MLR debut and Mitch Eadie plays way out of position. Black will have a lot of pressure on him as there is no clear fullback cover on the bench. Ultimately, he is the youngest in a very young back three with Avery Oitomen and Kobe Faust. How he handles himself, especially in regards to the kicking exchanges will be crucial for the Arrows. Eadie has had a number of great carries through the begining of the season. I would expect him to be utilized as a crash ball centre often. Eadie and Fabian Goodall will be needed to draw in some defenders to give the Arrows a chance to swing the ball outwide. With a forward in a key back position, it will be interesting to see what kind of attack plan the Arrows go with.
Storylines
Survive
As mostly highlighted above, the Arrows’ injury situation is a big concern right now. Shane O’Leary is the only player of the 10 that has not started a game for the Arrows this year. O’Leary of course still had a huge impact in setting up Richardson’s try against Atlanta. Ultimately, the Arrows have a lot of big names on the injured list. They have been forced to call up players from the HPA and have a a few players forced to play out of position. Win or lose, it would be nice to leave Utah with anyone being added to the injury list.
Pack Hunting
The Arrows’ pack has yet to score a try in 2023. With such an unusual and young backline, I would love to see the pack really get going in this match. Set piece execution will be paramount to gaining an edge agaisnt a big Warriors side. The front row of Lolani Falevia, Ramon Ayarza, and Tyler Rowland will need to continue to make big carries and demonstrate an impressive workrate. Mike Sheppard and Lucas Rumball will key defensively as the Arrows look to establish dominance in the tackle and breakdown. Ultimately, the forwards need to cash in on trips inside the 22.
You can catch the Arrows battle the Utah Warriors at 4:30pm across all TSN platforms and the Rugby Network.