Toronto Arrows
Professional rugby union team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toronto Arrows R.F.C. was a rugby union club based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that played in Major League Rugby.[3] The Arrows team was an independent off-shoot of the Ontario Blues provincial programme and was funded by a group of private investors and supporters.[4] They are currently on hiatus following the 2023 season.[5]
| ||
| Full name | Toronto Arrows | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Arrows | |
| Founded | Ontario Arrows 2017–2018 Toronto Arrows since 2018[1][2] | |
| Disbanded | 2023 | |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Ground | York Lions Stadium (Capacity: 4,000) | |
| Most caps | Mike Sheppard (58) | |
| Top scorer | Sam Malcolm (370) | |
| Most tries | Gastón Mieres (15) | |
| League | Major League Rugby | |
| 2023 | Eastern Conference: 6th Playoffs: DNQ | |
| ||
History
2017–2018: Ontario Arrows
(2017–18)
(2018-23)
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.[6][7][8][9] The Arrows debuted September 9, 2017, in a match against the Glendale Merlins losing 41–7.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.[14][15]
2019–2021: First MLR seasons
In the 2019 season the team split its home games between Alumni Field of York University and Lamport Stadium in its inaugural 2019 MLR season.[16]
After playing only five matches in 2020, the Arrows ceased play, along with the rest of the league, as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Due to border crossing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic during the 2021 season, the Arrows temporarily relocated to Marietta, Georgia, to share Rugby ATL's facilities at Lupo Family Field.[17]
2022–2023: Final seasons
For the 2022 season, the Arrows hosted their game against the LA Giltinis at Starlight Stadium in Langford, British Columbia, marking the first MLR regular season game to be held in the province. The remainder of their home games were played at the renovated York Lions Stadium, over 1,000 days after the team's previous home game in Toronto.[18]
On August 30, 2023, the Arrows announced the passing of president and general partner, Bill Webb.[19] Bill Webb's passing resulted in an outpouring of support from across the rugby world, including players, teams, leagues and foundations.[20] On November 27, 2023, it was announced that the Arrows would not compete in the 2024 MLR season.[21]
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.[22] 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."[23]
Sponsorship
| Season | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Other shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | XBlades | Waypoint Investment Partners | Blackshire Capital Dineen Coffee 360centre360 |
| 2019 | Honda Canada | Waypoint Investment Partners | |
| 2020–2021 | Paladin Sports | ||
| 2022 | Coolbet Canada | ||
| 2023 | TIRF (Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation) | Metro Supply Chain Group Foundation Physiotherapy & Wellness |
Players and personnel
Head coaches
Chris Silverthorn (2019–2021)
Peter Smith (2021–2023)- Stephen Meehan (2023)
Captains
- Lucas Rumball, Dan Moor (2019) (co-captains)
- Dan Moor, Lucas Rumball (2020) (co-captains)
- Lucas Rumball, Ben LeSage (2021) (co-captains)
- Mike Sheppard (2022)
- Lucas Rumball, Sam Malcolm (Vice captains)
- Lucas Rumball (2023)
- Sam Malcolm, Mike Sheppard (Vice captains)
Team staff
As of January 2023[update], the members of the team staff are:[24]
- Peter Smith — Head Coach
- Rob Howley — Attack Coach
- Francois Ratier – Defence & Skills Coach
- Francisco Deformes — Forwards Coach
- Cory Hector — Arrows Academy Director & Head Coach
- Alex Lee – Head of Performance
- Shane Cahill – Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach
- Richard Owen – Head Performance Analyst
- Neil MacDougall – Team Manager
- Scott Shannon — Head Athletic Therapist
- Chris Chan – Senior Team Physiotherapist
- Terri Jones – Academy Athletic Therapist
- Dr. John Gillis – Head Team Physician
- Chris Silverthorn – Director of Player Development
Front office
- Bill Webb – President and General Partner
- Tim Matthews – Vice President and General Manager
- Rahul Srinivasan – Chief Commercial Officer
- Mark Winokur – Co-Founder and Special Advisor
Records
Season standings
| Season | Conference | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | +/− | BP | Pts | Pld | W | L | F | A | +/− | Result | |||
| 2019 | – | 3rd | 16 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 472 | 362 | +110 | 13 | 57 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 30 | −13 | Lost Semifinal (Seattle Seawolves) 17–30 | |
| 2020[a] | Eastern | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 151 | 89 | +62 | 3 | 19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Cancelled | |
| 2021 | Eastern | 6th | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 411 | 412 | −1 | 10 | 30 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | Eastern | 4th | 16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 414 | 390 | +24 | 9 | 41 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify | |
| 2023 | Eastern | 6th | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 306 | 601 | -295 | 8 | 16 | – | – | – | – | – | – | Did not qualify | |
| Totals | 69 | 29 | 2 | 38 | 1,754 | 1,854 | -100 | 43 | 163 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 30 | -13 | 1 postseason appearance | |||
Notes
- 2020 regular season shortened and playoffs cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.[25] On March 19, 2020, MLR announced that they had cancelled the season and all remaining games for 2020.[26]
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 | |
2021 season
Due to the Canadian federal government closing the border between the USA and Canada in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto relocated to Marietta, Georgia for the 2021 season.[27] Although intended to be for the start of the season, the ongoing pandemic meant that all of the Arrow's “home” games were played at Lupo Family Field, sharing the ground with Rugby ATL for the season.
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 14–21 |
| March 27 | Utah Warriors | Away | Lost, 24–39 |
| April 3 | Old Glory DC | Away | Won, 40–19 |
| April 10 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 16–43 |
| April 17 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | Won, 52–7 |
| April 25 | Rugby United New York | Away | Won, 53–12 |
| May 2 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Lost, 14–22 |
| May 9 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 29–33 |
| May 15 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Won, 19–10 |
| May 29 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 12–14 |
| June 6 | San Diego Legion | Home | Lost, 30–40 |
| June 12 | Austin Gilgronis | Away | Lost, 47–21 |
| June 20 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Lost, 12–18 |
| June 27 | Rugby United New York | Home | Lost, 24–31 |
| July 4 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 34–28 |
| July 11 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Lost, 17–28 |
2022 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 6 | Seattle Seawolves | Away | Lost, 8–21 |
| February 11 | LA Giltinis | Home | Lost, 16–31 |
| February 19 | New Orleans Gold | Away | Won, 24–23 |
| February 26 | Old Glory DC | Away | Won, 29–5 |
| March 12 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Lost, 15–21 |
| March 19 | Utah Warriors | Away | Won, 27–24 |
| March 27 | Rugby United NY | Away | Won, 14–10 |
| April 2 | Rugby ATL | Home | Lost, 14–20 |
| April 9 | Old Glory DC | Home | Won, 32–27 |
| April 16 | New Orleans Gold | Home | Won, 53–36 |
| April 23 | Houston SaberCats | Away | Lost, 17–29 |
| May 8 | Rugby United NY | Home | Lost, 17–41 |
| May 14 | Dallas Jackals | Home | Won, 57–0 |
| May 19 | New England Free Jacks | Home | Won, 33–18 |
| May 28 | Rugby ATL | Away | Lost, 23–34 |
| June 5 | Old Glory DC | Home | Lost, 35–50 |
2023 season
Regular season
| Date | Opponent | Home/Away | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 17 | Rugby ATL | Away | Silverbacks Park | Lost, 17–10 |
| February 26 | Rugby New York | Away | Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium | Lost, 39–3 |
| March 11 | Chicago Hounds | Away | SeatGeek Stadium | Won, 27–26 |
| March 18 | Old Glory DC | Away | Segra Field | Lost, 29–3 |
| March 25 | Utah Warriors | Away | Zions Bank Stadium | Lost, 47–19 |
| April 1 | Dallas Jackals | Away | Choctaw Stadium | Lost, 14–11 |
| April 8 | Rugby New York | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 29–27 |
| April 15 | New England Free Jacks | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 80–5 |
| April 23 | Seattle Seawolves | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 36–27 |
| April 30 | New Orleans Gold | Away | The Gold Mine | Lost, 40–24 |
| May 12 | Rugby ATL | Home | York Lions Stadium | Draw, 34–34 |
| May 18 | Old Glory DC | Home | York Lions Stadium | Draw, 29–29 |
| May 27 | New England Free Jacks | Away | Veterans Memorial Stadium | Lost, 57–20 |
| June 3 | Houston SaberCats | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 48–26 |
| June 11 | San Diego Legion | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 50–17 |
| June 17 | New Orleans Gold | Home | York Lions Stadium | Lost, 26–24 |