Ross Braude is a 23-year-old born in Pretoria, South Africa. The player has also made 12 appearances for Rugby Canada.
Ross Braude: The Toronto Arrows important scrum-half
Ross Braude: Going from South Africa to Rugby Canada
The native from South Africa first moved to Canada for Rugby Canada’s high-performance camp. This is what Braude said about the move according to Neil Davidson of the Toronto Star:
“Definitely a lot of nerves,” Braude said. “A 20-year-old going out, around the world, on my own … I hadn’t met any of the people, I’d only spoken (to them) over the phone.”
Braude also spoke about the warm welcome he had from Canadians.
“That’s one thing I can say about the Canadians I’ve been involved with. They’re really good people and really made me feel welcome,” he said.
The reason why Braude was able to play for Rugby Canada was because of his Montreal-born father, as mentioned in Davidson’s article.
Ross Braude: His Time with the Toronto Arrows
Braude is an all-around player for the Arrows that can make big plays in the biggest moments for Toronto. An example of this was Braude’s run last year against Rugby ATL, where he made a fantastic run to increase the Arrows’ lead. He also made a great defensive play at Starlight Stadium against the LA Giltinis, where he got the ball back for his team.
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That is why he was part of the team’s leadership group, despite being only 23 years old. This is what current Arrows head coach, Peter Smith, said about them being part of the leadership group (source: Toronto Arrows):
“These are relentless, hard workers who are willing to do whatever it takes for our squad to win, and that’s why those guys have been selected within the group,” added Smith.
Caught the defence napping. 😴#ArrowsUp #UTAHvTOR pic.twitter.com/P1CvcCreFa
— Toronto Arrows RFC (@TorontoArrows) March 25, 2023
He plays as a scrum-half for the Arrows and for Rugby Canada. is an important contributor to the team and has played a big role for them since 2021. He also made his first appearance for Rugby Canada in a lopsided loss to Wales last year, but it was not all lost, as he scored a try for Rugby Canada.
Ross Braude: The Adopted South African Canadian
Braude has been able to call Canada his home. It is important to note though that Braude has been able to live and appreciate Canada because of the Arrows, as it is the only Canadian MLR team.
If Canada is going to get more players who grew up overseas, domestic teams like Toronto will be needed in order to make that happen. However, for now, it does show the potential it has to grow the domestic Rugby Canada scene in Canada.
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Can't sleep when Ross Braude is on the field 💤#MLR2023 @TorontoArrows @usmlr pic.twitter.com/AjT30MV2y4
— The Rugby Network (@therugbynetwork) April 23, 2023
Braude played very well in the narrow loss to the Seattle Seawolves. He scored two tries and almost assisted in another try in the first half. The Arrows will now travel to face New Orleans. They will now play on April 30 at 3:00 p.m. ET in the Gold Mine. The game will be shown live on Yurview, The Rugby Network, and TSN.ca/TSN+.
Photo Credit: Sam Buschbeck of the Toronto Arrows on April 8, 2023.
