TORONTO — The Toronto Arrows have acquired veteran Canadian international forward Kyle Baillie from the NOLA Gold in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2022 Major League Rugby collegiate draft.
The 30-year-old lock/back-rower from Summerside, P.E.I., has spent the last three seasons with the New Orleans team. He has won 32 caps for Canada and served as captain against Fiji during the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup.
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.
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.
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.
The addition of Baillie brings the number of Canadian province to be represented on the Arrows senior team roster to seven.
“We are very excited to welcome Kyle back north of the border and to have him serve as a big part of our first season back in town since 2019,” Arrows CEO and GM Mark Winokur said in a statement. “KB brings skill, size and leadership, and obviously has a lot of close friends in the shed, so bringing him in was a perfect fit for us."
The Arrows have now signed 10 players ahead of the 2022 MLR campaign.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2021
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
