Arrows Open Season with Fire and Ice Cup
The Toronto Arrows are set to kickoff their 2023 Major League Rugby campaign as they battle Rugby ATL in the season opener tonight! The match will be a chance for the Arrows to get off to a hot start and claim some silverware in the process.
Starting XVs
Toronto
Following an incredibly busy off-season, head coach Peter Smith has named a new look Arrows’ side for the season opener. Eleven players of the matchday twenty-three are in line to make their Arrows debut tonight. In the back row, Travis Larsen and Corey Thomas joined the squad from the Seattle Seawolves and LA Giltinis respectively. Cole Davis was traded from the Austin Gilgronis to Rugby ATL midway through last season and won’t have to wait long to meet his former club. The remain 8 players (Conan O’Donnell, Gene Syminton, Micaiah Torrance-Read, Tautalatasi Tasi, Nic Benn, Ciaran Breen, Fabian Goodall, and Shane O’Leary) will all be making their MLR debuts as well.
Earlier in the week, the club announced that Lucas Rumball will serve as the Arrows’ captain for the 2023 season. Mike Sheppard and Sam Malcolm will be his vice-captains.
ATL
Head coach Steve Brett has named Canadian Matt Heaton as a co-captain alongside Johan Moms for the 2023 season. Unfortunately, Heaton is out of the lineup for the season opening clash with the Arrows as is George Barton. However, there is still a Canadian presence in the squad.
Rugby ATL drafted two Canadians in the 2022 MLR collegiate draft and both are in line to make their MLR debuts. Bishop’s University’s Jack Shaw will start on the wing while 4th overall pick Seth Purdey from the University of California, Berkeley will be in the reserves.
Player to Watch
If you have listened to recent episodes of the podcast, the first player to watch of 2023 will be no surprise. When we asked both Thomas and Sheppard which young player they are most excited about for the Arrows and Rugby Canada, the response was Mason Flesch. Flesch was unfortuantely injured for most of last season, but he gets the chance to open 2023 in the starting number 4 jersey. Flesch is an excellent line out jumper and great near the breakdown. Look for him to display a high workrate and pick up some strong metres with ball in hand. Flesch will be joined in the second row by Torrance-Read, who has joined the club from the Manawatu Turbos. It will be quite the matchup to start the season as they go head to head with Rugby ATL’s South African duo of Justin Basson and Johan Momsen.
Storylines
A Song of Fire and Ice
It’s rare that any team gets a shot at some silverware in the first match of the season, but that is the opportunity that presents itself tonight. Due to the pandemic, the Arrows played the entire 2021 season based in Atlanta. During that time the two clubs conceived of the Fire and Ice Cup as “a commemoration of sportsmanship and unity through rugby”. The Fire and Ice Cup is contested annually, but it can only be won at the home ground of the current holder. Rugby ATL won the inaugural Fire and Ice Cup in 2021 and defended it last year. There may be no better way to start 2023 than by bringing the Fire and Ice Cup north of the border for the first time.
New Kids on the Block
As mentioned above, there are plenty of new faces in the Arrows lineup. The season opening match with Rugby ATL will provide these players with the chance to make a big first impression. There are eleven new players in the match day squad, but nine of them are in the starting XV. This year’s squad almost feels like a new team. The Arrows have never had this much roster turnover in one off-season and it will be fascinating to see how the squad has gelled together during training camp.
The Toronto Arrows will battle Rugby ATL in the Fire and Ice Cup tonight a 7pm. Fans in Canada can watch the game on TSN+, TSN.ca, or the TSN app. Fans everywhere else can tune in on the Rugby Network. You can follow along for updates on the match @bressettethejet or @lerougerugby on twitter.