Canada's Matt Evans, centre, celebrates his try with teammates Patrick Parfrey, left, and Kyle Baillie during an international rugby match against Russia in Calgary, Alta., Saturday, June 18, 2016. The Toronto Arrows have traded the rights to veteran forward Baillie to Old Glory D.C. in exchange for salary cap considerations next season. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
TORONTO – The Toronto Arrows have traded the rights to veteran forward Kyle Baillie to Old Glory D.C. in exchange for salary cap considerations next season.
The Arrows had acquired the Canadian international from the NOLA Gold in October 2021 in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2022 Major League Rugby collegiate draft. While Baillie saw action in 10 games for Toronto in 2022, he was not re-signed for the 2023 season.
Still, under Major League Rugby rules, the Arrows retained his rights for this season.
The 31-year-old lock/back-rower from Summerside, P.E.I., spent three seasons with the New Orleans MLR team. He has won 35 caps for Canada and served as captain against Fiji during the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup.
A graduate of the Atlantic Rock senior men’s provincial program, he also played for Castaway Wanderers in B.C., St. Albert in Alberta and Halifax Tars in Nova Scotia.
Baillie also played in Australia with Shute Shield side Eastern Suburbs in 2015.
He spent time with the Ohio Aviators in PRO Rugby, a now-defunct U.S. league, and had a trial at England’s Saracens that was cut short when he dislocated his shoulder, requiring surgery. He eventually joined London Scottish in England’s second-tier Championship.
His participation in the 2019 World Cup in Japan was limited to just 13 minutes of the 66-7 loss to eventual champion South Africa in Kobe. Baillie tore the medial collateral ligament in his knee a month earlier in Canada’s final warmup match against the U.S. and reinjured the knee against the Springboks.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2023
