The Toronto Arrows, with 13 full internationals in their matchday 23, look to even their record when they visit the Utah Warriors on Saturday in Major League Rugby play.
It's the eighth straight road game for the first-year Arrows (3-4-0), who will play their remaining eight fixtures at home starting April 7 with NOLA Gold at York Alumni Stadium.
Chris Silverthorn, Toronto's director of rugby, has made two changes to the starting lineup that lost 24-21 to Rugby United New York last time out on March 15 when the winning try by John Quill came on the final play of the match.
Hooker Steven Ng gets his first start of the season while winger Avery Oitomen returns from injury for the match at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.
Canadian international scrum-half Jamie Mackenzie, winger Kainoa Lloyd and fullback Theo Sauder are all named to the bench. The Arrows matchday squad has a combined cap total of 217 matches.
"We're heading down to Utah with the goal of bringing our record back to .500, and to finish our long road trip on a positive note as we kick off our homestand," Silverthorn said in a statement. "With all of our international players now back with the squad, the level of competition for spots has been fierce, and it’s helping push our guys to ensure they're at the top of their game."
Toronto stands sixth in the league standings with 17 points.
Eighth-place Utah (1-4-1, eight points) has lost three straight although two of those — against NOLA Gold and Houston — were by two-point margins.
"If you look at how close the scorelines have been across the league, there’s little margin for error for teams hoping to earn a spot in the playoffs," said Silverthorn. "No match is an easy one, which speaks to the level of competition in this league. We're looking forward to a good, physical game against a side that’s hungry to move up in the standings, and we'll be up for it."
Toronto Arrows Lineup
Rob Brouwer, Steven Ng, Morgan Mitchel, Mike Sheppard, Paul Ciulini, Lucas Rumball, Peter Milazzo, Jack Nay, Andrew Ferguson, Sam Malcolm, Dan Moor, Guiseppe du Toit, Spencer Jones, Avery Oitomen, Gaston Mieres.
Replacements
Jack McRogers, Cole Keith, Tom Dolezel, Kolby Francis, Marcello Wainwright, Jamie Mackenzie, Kainoa Lloyd, Theo Sauder.
The Canadian Press
