Shane OÕŒeary is shown in action for the Toronto Arrows is shown during a match against the New York Ironworkers on April 8, 2023, at York Lions Stadium. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Toronto Arrows-Kyle Gilmor **MANDATORY CREDIT**
TORONTO – The injury-plagued Toronto Arrows ended a disappointing season with yet another defeat Saturday, squandering a first-half lead to lose 26-24 to the NOLA Gold in Major League Rugby play.
Toronto (1-13-2, 16 points) did not go quietly. The Arrows mounted a late charge with tries by James O’Neill in the 74th minute and Liam Bowman, on a 90-metre intercept, in added time but it was too little too late.
Their inability to play the full 80 minutes cost them again.
Toronto, with the wind at its back, had plenty of scoring chances in the first half but could not build on a 10-0 lead, missing two long-distance penalties kicks. And NOLA Gold scored under the posts in the final second of the first half to cut the lead to 10-7.
NOLA Gold (7-9-0, 35 points) arrived out of playoff contention, unable to catch third-place Old Glory D.C. in the Eastern Conference.
The game was delayed when the floodlights went out in the 64th minute at York Lions Stadium. The sides agreed to keep playing in natural light with the light coming back with a few minutes left on the clock.
Winger Harley Wheeler put the visitors from New Orleans ahead 12-10 with a try in the corner in the 47th minute, capping an attack started when NOLA won a scum against the head near the Toronto try-line.
Tom Florence scored his second try of the game in the 57th minute to increase the NOLA lead to 19-10. A try by Alex Lopeti in the 66th minute made it 26-10.
The Arrows were missing 14 players due to injury Saturday: Nic Benn, Ciaran Breen, Cole Davis, Mitch Eadie, Lolani Faleiva, Nik Hildebrand, Shay Kerry, Avery Oitomen, Noel Reid, Tyler Rowland, Corey Thomas, Micaiah Torrance-Read, Adrian Wadden and Tyler Wong.
But Toronto’s matchday 23 still featured nine full internationals: eight from Canada and Chile’s Ramon Ayarza.
Mitch Richardson also scored a try for Toronto. Shane O’Leary kicked two conversions and a penalty.
Jordan Trainor booted three conversions for NOLA.
Toronto went ahead 7-0 in the fourth minute on a converted try by Richardson after a line break by fly half Peter Nelson. The Arrows looked to have scored again four minutes later but O’Neill was ruled to have lost the ball before touching it down in a mass of bodies.
After a scrum penalty, Toronto then had a lineout five metres out from the NOLA goal line, only to see the visitors steal the throw to end the threat. Minutes later, an Arrows try by Fabian Goodall was negated for offside.
An O’Leary penalty in the 16th minute boosted the lead to 10-0.
The visitors, playing against the wind in the first half, did not help their cause by missing touch twice with kicks off penalties against Toronto.
Nelson exited in the 32nd minute favouring his ribs. He was replaced by vice-captain Sam Malcolm, who missed seven games of the season after suffering a concussion in a mid-air collision contesting a high ball in an April 8 loss to the New York Ironworkers.
Toronto scrum half Will Grant also had to leave late in the first half with an injury.
Canadian international hooker Eric Howard, who started for NOLA, had to be helped off the field in the 27th minute favouring a leg.
Arrows academy graduate Matt Fish, a six-foot-three, 255-pound backrower, made his senior team debut off the bench in the 59th minute.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2023.
