North American Rugby Database

Report

The Toronto Arrows host the NOLA Gold at York Lions Stadium in what is the final game of the 2023 season for both sides.

The Gold missed the playoffs for the 6th year in a row following an up and down year which ultimately ended in disappointment for a side that looked to be one of the most improved from 2022. The Arrows playoff race ended many weeks ago and their club-worst, miserable 2023 season comes to a merciful end after this game. Both sides were playing for nothing but pride although the Arrows would’ve liked to give their home fans something to cheer about.

And they started strong. An early try from Mitch Richardson converted by O’Leary gave them a 7-0 lead, and it seemed that the Arrows had scored two more tries in the half, although one was called back for a knock-on, and the other for a forward pass. The Canadians settled for a 3pt penalty, and took a 10-0 lead. The Gold got on the board right at the end of the first half through a Tom Florence battering ram, and this began a wave of 26 unanswered points for the visitors, who took a 10-26 lead into the last 10 minutes through tries from Alex Lopeti and Harley Wheeler, as well as a second for Tom Florence. The Arrows did have a few penalty attempts during this time, but O’Leary’s attempts flew just wide.

A James O’Neill try with 5 minutes to go seemed like a consolation score and proved to be just that, although a 90 metre Liam Bowman interception 7-pointer with the clock in the red meant that the Arrows got the last word, but still fell just short of a comeback victory.

Both sides will now look to the long offseason, and contemplate their 2024 rosters.