Ben LeSage is one of the two co-captains of the Toronto Arrows. The Canadian was born and brought up in Calgary, Alberta. He won the athlete of the year award at Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School in Calgary. LeSage would then play varsity rugby with the UBC (University of British Columbia) Thunderbirds in Vancouver, British Columbia from 2016-19.
Toronto Arrows Player Profile: Ben LeSage
The Start of Ben LeSage’s Toronto Arrows Career
The Albertan centre became a member of the Arrows a few months before the 2020 MLR season began (source: DJCOILRUGBY). The graduate from the Prairie Wolf Pack senior men’s national team played in all five matches in 2020 for the Arrows. According to the Toronto Arrows, he had 37 tackles, three offloads, two linebreaks, and a tackle in the shortened 2020 MLR season.
Congratulations to Lucas Rumball and Ben LeSage on been appointed co-captains for @TorontoArrows 2021 @usmlr season! 🙌
We know you'll continue to make Canada proud! 🇨🇦#RugbyCA 🏉🍁 https://t.co/frZ3kL1BKh
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) March 18, 2021
His brief season in 2020 with Toronto obviously impressed Arrows management. He along with Lucas Rumball was made co-captain of the team. LeSage made three tries for the Arrows this year. His first try came in a 19-40 win against Old Glory DC at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia.
LeSage has made an impact on the Arrows organization this year. An example can be seen against the Seattle Seawolves, where he had one try and played very well against Seattle. This included making a great defensive play in the 21-minute, picking the ball off from George Barton of the Seawolves.
🗣️ "I don't think there's an official stat on it, but I *may* be leading the league in stitches at this point. Hopefully this look is just temporary, but I'll take it if we're stacking wins."
𝐌𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 @benlesage#ArrowsUp | @HondaCanada pic.twitter.com/TH6OPCgyHq
— Toronto Arrows RFC (@TorontoArrows) April 26, 2021
Then in the big win over Rugby United New York, LeSage played a major role in two of the tries scored in the game. His great passing ability shined, and he was one of the best players of the game. As a result, he was awarded the Player of the Game and made the Geico XV for week six in MLR.
The Rugby Canada Career of Ben LeSage
FT: #Canada gets a try from @phillymack07 & 9 points from @GordyMcRorie but fall 21-16 to @RugbyRomania #RISEAsOne pic.twitter.com/GzHvRkQUMU
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) November 19, 2016
LeSage made his debut for Rugby Canada as his team faced Romania on November 19, 2016. As of September 26, 2019, LeSage had played 16 games for Team Canada. This included making his Rugby World Cup debut in 2019 against Italy.
FULL TIME: An electric atmosphere in Fukuoka but Canada fall to @Federugby, 48-7. @AndrewCoee scoring 🇨🇦’s lone try and Peter Nelson adding the conversion 🏉🍁 #RugbyCA pic.twitter.com/XWT5ydHxin
— Rugby Canada (@RugbyCanada) September 26, 2019
Unfortunately, on his Rugby World Cup debut, Italy won the game easily with a scoreline of 48-7. In 2016 according to RugbyPass, he had seven tackles and was successful in completing all seven tackles. Then in 2017, he had nine successful tackles and one unsuccessful tackle. He became a more impactful player for Rugby Canada. He made 30 tackles, with 27 of them being successful.
Finally, in 2019, he made 10 tackles with seven of them being successful. It is important to note that in 2019, Canada faced high-quality opposition like New Zealand and South Africa. This made it harder for Canada to complete tackles or gain metres against some of the best rugby union countries in the world.
He gained 15 metres and made nine runs in 2016. Then, in 2017, gained a total of 23 metres, six runs, and two carries for Canada. 2018 was probably the best year for LeSage in a Rugby Canada jersey. He had a total of 61 metres gained and also had four carries for Rugby Canada. He also had 14 runs, two defenders beaten, and one clean break.
Lastly, in 2019, he gained three metres and had three carries for Rugby Canada. He also had three metres, three runs, and two passes made for Canada. LeSage played two games in 2016, one in 2017, three in 2018, and finally one in 2019. Keep in mind that the games played that the Rugby Canada site only includes eight of the 16 games LeSage played for the national team.
Ben LeSage Career Overview
Ben LeSage is a tough player who does the plays sometimes not noticed on the score sheet. He plays great defence and helps his teammates find opportunities to score. However, players like LeSage and fellow co-captain Lucas Rumball helped the Arrows succeed in their wins this year in MLR.
Rivalry weekend did not disappoint 🔥
🏉 #MLR2021 | @OPROMouthguards pic.twitter.com/Vpady0uRY1
— Major League Rugby (@usmlr) June 7, 2021
The Arrows are in a must-win situation after losing two straight games and four of their last five games. They currently sit last in the Eastern Conference with 23 points. Strangely enough, the Arrows have the second-best points differential in the Eastern Conference.
They are currently 11 points behind second-place Rugby United New York, who has played one less game than Toronto. This is while the Austin Gilgronis are third in the Western Conference. They are currently five points behind the Utah Warriors, who have 36 points. The top two teams from each conference make it to the 2021 MLR playoffs.
The Arrows will next play Austin Gilgronis at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June. 12. The game will take place in Texas at BOLD Stadium and will be televised nationally in Canada on TSN. The Arrows-Gilgronis game can also be seen on Fox Soccer Plus and FS2.
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