The Toronto Arrows second year as a Major League Rugby franchise will commence on February 8 on the road against the Austin Herd. They will play their first seven games on the road and seven of their last nine games at home.
Their last four home games will be at Lamport Stadium. They will also play a game at Las Vegas Ballpark, a potential venue for a Major League Rugby team.
The season structure for the 2020 Major League Rugby season will be different than the previous year. According to the MLR YouTube account, there will be 12 teams, divided into two divisions. This includes six teams in the Western Division and six teams in the Eastern Division, which includes the Toronto Arrows.
The top team from each division gets a bye to the Division Final. The second and third-placed teams from each division will face each other for a chance to go to the Eastern and Western Division Final. The winner of the Division Final games will face each other in the MLR Championship where a winner will be determined.
Their first-ever game is against the Austin Herd on Sunday, February 9. They will then play at Las Vegas Park on Sunday, February 16 against the Houston Sabercats. Their first home game at Lamport Stadium will be against the NOLA Gold on Sunday, May 3. It is unknown where they will play their first three home games in April starting with the Utah Warriors. It is presumed that they might play at Alumni Field at York University just like last year.
Toronto Arrows Schedule Released – Teams to Watch
Seattle Seawolves
The Seattle Seawolves eliminated the first-year expansion Toronto Arrows in the MLR Semi-Finals. The Seattle Seawolves like the Toronto Arrows have a lot of Canadian rugby union players. This is because Seattle has proximity with British Columbia, which includes rugby union hotbeds like Vancouver and Victoria. Besides the playoff game, the Arrows and Seawolves split the season series with one win and one loss.
The Seattle Seawolves will host the Toronto Arrows at Starfire Sports Complex in Seattle on Saturday, February 22. Arrows fans will not be able to see the Seattle Seawolves but should be able to watch them on TV. Last year, all or most of the Toronto Arrows games were broadcasted by Game TV, which should be expected for this year as well.
The other big team in the MLR western division is the San Diego Legion, which has improved their roster with arguably the biggest signing in Major League Rugby history.
San Diego Legion
The San Diego Legion finished first place last year and almost won the MLR Championship. They have signed New Zealand superstar Ma’a Nonu, who has won two World Cups, five Tri-Nations/Rugby Championships and eight Bledisloe Cups. He is a decorated superstar of a team that could come of the Arrows way of winning an MLR Championship.
The Arrows will meet San Diego only once this season in Toronto at Lamport Stadium on Sunday, May 10. However, even with how good San Diego is, the Arrows have defeated them twice last year and should use that confidence for their new season in 2020.
Another team the Arrows should look forward to playing their biggest rival in Rugby United New York. Both the Arrows and New York had identical records in their debut seasons last year.
Rugby United New York
Rugby United New York, the expansion cousins of the Toronto Arrows will be entering into their second season this year. They have signed Mathieu Bastareaud, a player who played professionally in France for the last 12 years.
The Toronto Arrows will play Rugby United New York two times this year. They will play at MCU Park in New York on Friday, March 20 and then at Lamport Stadium on Friday, May 22.
Both Rugby United New York and the Toronto Arrows are the only non-expansion teams in the Eastern Division this year. Both the Arrows and Rugby United New York had very close games last year with both teams winning one home game each by a margin of two-three points.
The Arrows will also be facing other teams in the Eastern Division including the NOLA Gold and expansion-based sides Old Glory DC, the New England Free Jacks, and Rugby ATL.
Introducing the 2020 Old Glory Backs.
#GloryAwaits | Come see the backs in action. Get your tickets today ➡️ https://t.co/XWy3ypE5Q8 pic.twitter.com/dAsxFWmTiO— Old Glory DC (@OldGloryDC) January 15, 2020
Eastern Division
These teams will be important for the Toronto Arrows as they look to win the MLR Championship this year.
The Arrows will face Rugby ATL Sunday, March 1 at Life University, while the Arrows host Rugby ATL on Sunday, April 19. With Old Glory DC, they will be playing at Old Catholic (Cardinal Stadium) at America’s capital on Sunday, April 26 before playing at Lamport Stadium in Toronto on Sunday, May 31.
The other expansion team the New England Freejacks will play in Toronto on Sunday, April 12 before playing at Lamport Stadium on Saturday, May 16.
Lastly, NOLA Gold will face the Toronto Arrows on Saturday, March 28 at The Gold Mine in Metairie, LA before playing at Lamport Stadium on Sunday, May 3. The Arrows will be looking at getting their first-ever win against the NOLA Gold as they lost two nail-biters at home and on the road in 2019.
Toronto Arrows Schedule
The Toronto Arrows are looking to win the MLR Championship this year. However, they will be facing some stiff competition this year. There have been some big signings that have come to MLR. In particular, the players that signed with Rugby United New York and MLR finalist San Diego Legion will be concerning the Toronto Arrows.
The Toronto Arrows should make the playoffs this year. They finished third in the league last year. However, anything can happen in this league. Furthermore, the variable of how good or bad the three new Eastern MLR teams are is currently unknown.
The Toronto Arrows will have their first pre-season game against Utah Warriors in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 18 and then a Saturday, January 25 pre-season game against their expansion cousin rivals Rugby United New York. The game will take place in Orchard Park, NY in ADPRO Training Centre.
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