We start this week’s piece with a heavy heart as we belatedly mourn the passing of a Canadian Rugby Icon, Toronto Arrows’ founder Bill Webb. Bill passed away at the end of August, and we deeply regret that it has taken us this long to get around to paying our tribute to such a noble servant of rugby in this country. Sadly we got caught up in the World Cup fervor at the beginning of September, and it is only now that we’ve finally had a chance to reflect on the legacy Bill leaves behind, and in doing so attempt to pay him a fitting tribute. Along with the sad news regarding Bill Webb, imagine our further grief when we learned last week that his cherished project the only Canadian franchise in the MLR, his beloved Toronto Arrows, is also shutting up shop. In short, for the Men’s game in this country, it’s been a brutal year and one that will be hard to recover from.
We also look at the decision by England Captain Owen Farrell to step away from International Rugby for an indefinite period. In large part this difficult call is a direct result of him finding himself and his family continually in the crosshairs of social media abuse, and even from English fans themselves and other countries in the stands at Test matches. We’ve already lamented the abuse directed at officials and are equally appalled when players and their families also become the targets of such cowardly behavior. It’s a growing problem in our game and must be stamped out before the rot is allowed to spread.
On a more upbeat note we look at the European Champions Cup which kicked off this weekend, and profile the three front runners along with three teams we think are likely to cause the biggest problems for everyone else, and in doing so provide the most entertainment value for your rugby watching/streaming dollar over the next few months.
Canada loses a rugby visionary as Toronto mourns the passing of one of its finest
We’ll be honest. This has been a really tough piece to write. As mentioned above, like many, we were shocked to hear the news of Bill Webb’s passing at the end of August after a valiant struggle with cancer. We had wanted to write something at the time, but with all the other rugby distractions going on then, notably the start of the World Cup, we felt we would be unable to do one of Canada’s finest the justice he deserved in a rushed piece. Since then, it’s been hard to find a way to put into words a fitting tribute to a larger than life personality who had such a massive impact on the rugby landscape here in Toronto and in Canada as a whole. In short, this was a very sad day for Canadian rugby.
However, let us try and celebrate a remarkable rugby life and one that contributed so much to the growth of the game in this country. We were fortunate to bump into Bill on numerous occasions, either pitchside at Arrows games or at Hemingways in Toronto as he and other Arrows personalities sought to build a following for his beloved team. To say that Bill was an enthusiastic and devoted supporter of rugby in not only his native Toronto but Canada as a whole is barely scratching the surface of his commitment to the sport in this country. Always jovial and positive no matter how difficult things may have been for either his Arrows team or Canadian Men’s Rugby in general, it was always a pleasure to have a chat with Bill and his enthusiasm was infectious. Numerous Arrows players have cited how supportive Bill was of the team no matter where the team stood in the MLR standings, especially during last year’s exceptionally difficult season, where the team finished bottom of the league and only managed one win.
Bill started playing rugby in Grade 9 and went on to Captain the Laurier University team in his college days. From there, his larger than life personality was further developed as he spent time studying and playing rugby in England and then traveled extensively through Europe and Asia. He spent a great deal of time in Tibet and Nepal, where he even spent time as a trekking guide and was briefly detained by the Chinese authorities for a few days as a suspected spy. Such experiences would serve him well in a highly successful business career on his return to Canada.
His love of rugby and the values it holds dear served as a beacon for Bill and provided him the motivation to ceaselessly promote the game here in Canada and especially in Toronto. He was, and remained until his death, a key advisor to the Toronto Inner City Rugby Foundation (TIRF) which seeks to build community through rugby in 31 of Toronto’s underserved, low-income and priority neighbourhoods. He was also instrumental in securing funding for the Al Charron National Training Center for Rugby Canada in Langford, BC. A compassionate and loyal servant of the game, Bill felt that rugby could play a vital role in strengthening communities, especially those where young people found it hard to develop a sense of self-worth and esteem. The TIRF programme has been hugely successful in that regard here in Toronto, but most important of all ask any of its players what they feel it has done for them in life and you can see that Bill’s legacy will live on long into the future.
Bill’s tireless drive to establish the first professional rugby team in Canada, his beloved Toronto Arrows, who played five seasons in the MLR, is well documented. It was his heartfelt wish that the team should continue on after his passing, and as a result, imagine our dismay on hearing the news that, at least for now, the Arrows have shut up shop. It is our sincere hope that Bill’s wish that the team remains a part of the MLR can somehow be honored even if the team will play no part in the forthcoming 2024 season. Bill was a permanent fixture on the sidelines of every home game here in Toronto, and no matter what the scoreboard said, his commitment to and support of his players and their fans was 110%.
In short, you can never replace larger than life figures like Bill Webb. The best you can do is ensure that their legacy is honored and built upon. Bill’s tireless enthusiasm and commitment to rugby and its values is something all of us can take forward and promote in our own communities and in doing so hopefully do our part in honoring a remarkable Canadian rugby legend. From all of us here at the Lineout, our sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to Bill’s wife Agnes and his two sons James and Stephen. Bill was one of Canada’s finest, and although he may have hung up his own boots for good, his spirit will tie the bootlaces for many generations to come in this country.
Canada’s only foray into professional rugby comes to an end…..at least for now
Last week’s news that the Toronto Arrows will not compete in next year’s 2024 Major League Rugby (MLR) season was not the start to the New Year we had hoped for. Toronto do not appear to be alone, as North American professional rugby seems in rather troubled waters. Toronto was the second team to fold for the 2024 season, as Rugby Atlanta had also sold up shop, although in their case, they simply relocated to Los Angeles. However, this past week, we also saw the collapse of 2022 MLR champions the New York Ironworkers. In short, the competition is not really producing results, and now the lack of any Canadian teams in the League is a bitter blow.
There are large numbers of Canadian players on many of the teams in the MLR, but somehow unlike other competitions such as Super Rugby Americas in South America, it’s not really making the USA or Canada that much more competitive on the International stage. Three national teams from the South American version of the MLR competition featured in this year’s World Cup, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay as opposed to Canada and the USA, the sole MLR countries not even qualifying. The MLR’s Glendale Raptors will participate in the Super Rugby Americas competition for 2024 which may help in the USA’s development, but it is still slim pickings and Canada remains lost out in the wilderness of professional rugby.
Rugby in North America is a very hard sell, especially North of the 49th parallel. You can essentially only play the game on the West Coast of Canada as the weather on the East Coast simply doesn’t allow for suitable playing conditions in the first two months of a regular MLR season, February and March. Add to that Rugby attempting to compete with other sports such as American Football and Ice Hockey which have absolutely mind bending advertising and TV coverage revenues and as a result sky high budget ceilings attracting a veritable waiting list of investors. There have been some brave and committed investors such as the Toronto Arrows Bill Webb in rugby in this country, but in general, Rugby is simply not a good bang for investors’ bucks in North America.
Elsewhere in the world the pinnacle of professional sport is ultimately to represent your country, which means that even in South America where soccer is the absolute king, the passion for the national jersey in any sport is so strong and such an end goal for players that you can still bring in the punters. Just watch the outpouring of national pride for the Chileans first World Cup outing this year, with even the President giving them a national send-off. We very much doubt Justin Trudeau or Joe Biden would send Canada or the USA off to the World Cup from Sussex Drive or the White House on national television. Unfortunately, in the sports that dominate the North American landscape, the pinnacle of a football player’s career is the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup for hockey players, and the World Series for baseball players. In short, these are not international competitions. In Rugby while club passions produce some of the greatest rivalries in the sport, just watch a Munster/Leinster clash if you don’t believe us, the ultimate goal of donning your national jersey is front and center in every aspiring rugby player’s goals.
While we don’t doubt that is also the case for any player in the MLR, be they Canadian or American, their dreams simply won’t attract the funding that by comparison a young player at Toulouse or Leinster’s would. South American players are starting to make such a name for themselves, talent scouts from the three big European club competitions, England’s Premiership, France’s Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship are regular visitors to South American club games. Just witness the raft of signings of Chilean and Uruguayan players to European clubs post the World Cup.
Consequently, the demise of the Toronto Arrows is of concern to Canada’s Mens Program, and we find it slightly concerning that Rugby Canada has had very little to say about it. While it may have been difficult to keep a team going in Toronto, particularly with the sad passing of Bill Webb their primary supporter, efforts should have been made to find investors who may have been interested in relocating the team to a more logical base such as Vancouver or Vancouver Island. Surely Rugby Canada from their cozy offices on Vancouver Island must have connections to some of the considerable wealth and potential investors that are present in Vancouver and its surroundings?
Without a team in the MLR, Men’s Rugby in this country will continue to be very much a fringe sport, and its players denied the exposure they need to be competitive internationally. While the Women’s program has been a spectacular success with Canadian Women players getting lucrative professional contracts in England and France, the same cannot be said for the Men’s program. Canadian Women have been as successful as they are on the international stage precisely because many of them play their rugby professionally in Europe week in week out alongside some of the best players in the world. By comparison, our Men have no such outlet, and with the ongoing problems faced by the MLR, we’re just not sure where they are going to get it. Sadly, there are few Canadian Men’s players, or even US players, who would attract the attention of the cheque signers from the English Premiership, TOP 14 or URC.
The MLR is their best bet for the moment, but with no Canadian teams anymore, and the ongoing woes of the other teams in the league South of the border, both financially as well as very limited success in attracting a sustainable fan base, the future sadly does not look bright for Men’s Rugby in this country or in the US. With the USA set to host the World Cup in 2031, urgent action is needed with both Rugby USA and Rugby Canada needing to come together to make the MLR a meaningful competition as a path to international success. It’s a tall order, but certainly, in the case of the Toronto Arrows, it would be a fitting tribute to Bill Webb if Rugby Canada at least attempted to answer the call.
A player who always put his country first, has made the hard decision to step away to put his family first
We were very saddened to hear the announcement from Owen Farrell that he has decided to take a step back from International Rugby for his own and his family’s well-being and mental health. As a result, the England Captain will not participate in the 2024 Six Nations, though hopefully we will see his return come the Autumn or England’s Tour to New Zealand in the summer of 2024. The abuse in social media of Owen Farrell has been off the charts this year and is completely unacceptable, and further highlights the blight currently affecting our beloved game, where individuals feel that they can intimidate players, coaches, officials and even their families from the comfort and anonymity of their keyboards.
Hang on, we hear you say you haven’t been exactly kind to Mr. Farrell, at times yourselves, so isn’t that the kettle calling the pot black? Agreed, it’s a fair cop, but we think there is a difference. While Owen Farrell may not be our favourite player at times on the pitch, whether it be for his problematic tackle technique or his outbursts towards officials in the heat of the moment, we have always held him in respect. While he may suffer from a lack of form at times, there is no denying that when he is on song in an England or Saracens jersey, there are few who can touch him. Furthermore, he is one of England’s most experienced players and has helped steer them to some of their greatest moments, and he has also done so in a British and Irish Lions jersey. Whether you personally like the man or not, his contribution to English rugby is immense, and he deserves our respect. We reserve the right to be critical when he or any other player is out of form, but none of it is meant in disrespect, and if it has ever been perceived as such, then we apologise.
However, what concerns us the most is the fact that certain individuals feel that a negative review of a player’s performance in the media then gives them license to target that person and their family in a torrent of highly distasteful abuse whether it be at the pitch or on the internet. There is simply no place for such behaviour in our game, and we’d be hard pressed to call those who do stoop to such levels genuine rugby fans as they simply don’t understand one of the basic principles of the game. We were very saddened to witness at both the World Cup and the Saracens/Bulls game in the Champions Cup this weekend, fans continuously booing Farrell and other players. The Bulls Coach Jake White lamented the behaviour of fans towards Farrell this weekend in Pretoria and hopefully people will get the message so that we can start to put a stop to such loutish and unsportsmanlike behaviour which ultimately tears a huge hole in the fabric of our game.
Let the rot stop forthwith. Owen, rest assured that it is our hope you’ll be back in an England jersey sooner rather than later. Whatever mistakes you may or may not have made in the past and which we may have been critical of, none of them have been made with malice on your part and are more a direct result of you wearing your heart on your sleeve and being the fierce and proud competitor you are for your country and the players you lead into battle. Starting with Farrell, let’s show every Player, Official and Coach the respect they deserve for making our game one of the greatest shows on earth!
It’s the best International Club competition in the World and these three have made it clear that they intend to be the pacesetters
The Champions Cup came roaring out of the blocks this weekend and left us spellbound and hungry for more. England’s Bath, France’s Racing 92, and Ireland’s Leinster are topping their respective domestic competitions, and this weekend, it was plain to see why. Bath dispatched a spirited Ulster in a match which showed the English outfit in total control, led by Scottish maestro and wizard fly half Finn Russell. Bath have a proud tradition in English rugby, and despite some very lean years recently, they are back to their very best. Meanwhile, in a rematch of last year’s Champions Cup final, Leinster traveled to La Rochelle to take on the defending French Champions. In appalling almost typhoon like conditions Leinster showed a master class of control and discipline which despite a strong challenge from the Frenchmen, saw the Irish outfit finally get to grips with a team that has denied them two successive Champions Cup trophies. Lastly although Racing 92 came just short in Paris against English outfit Harlequins, it was a pulsating contest decided on the finest of margins and showed that the French outfit looks set to only get better with each outing, making a place in the knockout stages an almost near certainty.
Bath’s route to the knockouts is challenging, but you can’t help feeling that they must feel more than a little optimistic about their chances. Their next fixture is a trip to a Cardiff side that got absolutely blitzed by Toulouse. Next up, they have to take on the might of Racing 92, but have the comfort of being able to do it cheered on by the Recreation Ground faithful at home. Their final encounter sees them travel to the South of France to take on European legends Toulouse. However, despite their pedigree, we are not as in awe of Stade Toulousain this year as we normally are. With hopefully some significant form under their belt, by that stage, the English outfit should find themselves in a strong position heading into the knockouts.
Leinster have made the traditional opening statement they always tend to make at the start of the competition. However, this year is a bit different. First up, there was no talisman Johnny Sexton steering the ship at 10. Both his replacements Harry Byrne and Ciaran Frawley rose to the occasion admirably in appalling typhoon like conditions, with the latter taking a monster 60 meter penalty kick which sealed the deal at the end of the game for the Irishmen. What perhaps was most telling was the defensive imprint of World Cup winning Springbok Coach Jacques Nienaber, who has now joined the Leinster Coaching setup. Despite repeated assaults, the Leinster defense was rock solid and was so disruptive to La Rochelle that the French unit struggled to gain any cohesion in attack. However, unlike Leinster sides of the last two years, despite the pressure and appalling conditions, the Irishmen to a man never looked flustered by the task they were handed. There was a calmness under pressure that will serve them exceptionally well in the weeks to come.
They have a difficult game against the current English powerhouse Sale up next, but at least it will be at home. That’s followed by another home fixture against France’s Stade Francais, which should be nothing more than a formality. Their last game before the knockouts is a tough trip to Leicester, but once again much like Bath should they have managed to build up a significant head of form by that stage they should make it easily into the knockouts.
As for Racing 92, we still think they are going to be one of the French teams to beat if not THE French team to beat. Star signing of World Cup winning Captain, South Africa’s Siya Kolisi, is already paying massive dividends as evidenced on Sunday night at Paris’ La Defense Arena. Harlequins were a very tricky proposition, and as mentioned in the next section below, we think are destined to be one of the surprise packages of the tournament. However, Racing took it to them for the full 80 minutes, and some of the line breaks by the French outfit had to be seen to be believed. They kept finding and creating holes in a solid Harlequins defense and were unlucky to not walk away the winners. In short, this is a team that is going to rapidly warm to the task at hand in the coming weeks and has the personnel to do so.
Their fixture list is also rather favorable as they travel to Ulster this weekend, but should have enough to get the job done, followed by a much more challenging trip to Bath. They end by hosting struggling Welsh outfit Cardiff, where the opportunity to claim those all-important maximum bonus points should be a mere formality. Their most daunting fixture prior to the knockouts is that awkward trip to Bath, which would have been so much more comfortable had they emerged the winners on Sunday night. However, with two bonus points from the loss to Harlequins, they should find themselves in a relative position of strength provided things go well against Ulster and Cardiff. They may not have gotten the result they wanted in the opening weekend, but write Racing off at your peril as we remain convinced they are genuine title contenders this year. A side that has been runners up three times must surely finally believe they can at long last end their run of being Championship bridesmaids.
Expect these three Wild Horses to be seriously hard to tame as the Champions Cup starts its stampede across the playing fields of Europe and South Africa
One are successive defending Champions, another a side whose history speaks volumes about English rugby, and last but not least, the new kids on the block are one of the most feared sides in South African rugby. Looking for troublemakers? Well, look no further than these three.
La Rochelle as back to back defending Champions and boasting a plethora of talent that regularly graces French Coach Fabien Galthie’s selection list will be hard to beat. Although they may have come short against Leinster this weekend at home in Monsoon Mary, it certainly wasn’t for the want of trying. They will be upset that they couldn’t breach a seemingly impenetrable Leinster defence, but they came very close on more than a few occasions, and had the ball not been a giant bar of soap fortune might certainly have favored the brave and in this case La Rochelle. La Rochelle ran at Leinster from every corner of the park and showed some genuine attacking enterprise.
They now face the long trip to Cape Town this Saturday to face the Stormers. However, despite the journey, we fancy their chances. The Stormers have simply not looked all that flash this year, World Cup distractions and absence of key personnel aside, though after their B team’s phenomenal heroics against Leicester this weekend we may have to revise that judgement sooner rather than later. However, it looks to be a perfect sunny day on Saturday in Cape Town, and if La Rochelle play the kind of attacking and kicking game they were able to put on display this Sunday in atrocious conditions, then on a fast dry track they should be more than capable of picking holes in a Stormers defence that looks porous at times. Next up they host Leicester at home and if they’ve had a big win on the road next weekend, they should be able to carry that momentum forward for both Leicester and their final game before the knockouts which is a trip to Sale. La Rochelle do not have an easy schedule as defending Champions in the runup to the knockouts but as they have proven so often this last two years they are more than capable of handling odds that would seem stacked against them.
We had a hunch that Harlequins were going to cause teams some serious bother in this year’s Champions Cup, and after their display in Paris on Sunday against Racing 92, we are now convinced. There are some very big personalities on this team who know how to upset opposition teams’ apple carts. The entire Harlequins front row, including the irrepressible mischief maker and character extraordinaire Joe Marler, caused Racing all kinds of problems on Sunday night. Joe Launchbury looked like he was once more putting his hand up for selection for England in the second row, alongside Dino Lamb, who is a bright prospect for Italy. Alex Dombrandt also seemed to be back to his best at 8, while Danny Care appeared to roll back the years at scrum half. Meanwhile, Marcus Smith made a statement that with Owen Farrell out of the Six Nations, there should be no doubt whatsoever about him sporting the 10 jersey in England’s forthcoming campaign. Andre the Giant smashed everything in his path in the center channels in the best tradition of a rampaging Springbok wing forward.
In short, watch this team as they mean business and appear to have more tricks up their sleeves than their jersey’s trademark emblem. They have a relatively favorable fixture list with no long-distance travel involved. Next up, they face French legends Toulouse at home at the Stoop before traveling across the Severn to face a Cardiff side clearly at sixes and sevens defensively and no match for Marcus Smith’s wily tricks. Their last match is back home at the Stoop against Irish side Ulster. By that stage, the Irishmen will have had a Champions Cup journey from hell having had to face Bath, Racing 92, and Toulouse, which should favor Harlequins rather nicely. Provided Harlequins don’t get complacent, we have absolutely no doubt that we’ll be seeing England’s court jesters in the knockouts.
Last but definitely not least, we have the Bulls, whose demolition of English giants Saracens this weekend at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria was something to behold. Admittedly, the Englishmen were clearly struggling with the effects of altitude, but the Bulls played a rather dashing and almost uncharacteristic game for them. Bulls teams of old have tended to be all about awe-inspiring physicality and not much else, able to capitalise on the energy sapping demands of playing at altitude on the Highveld. Well, after watching them in action this weekend, we’d say that’s a thing of the past. They ran Saracens off the park in some glorious running and attacking rugby – stodgy and ponderous they definitely were not. If anything one of their traditional assets, the scrum was almost their Achilles Heel. Either way, though, this is a VERY exciting Bulls side to watch who are currently sitting third in the United Rugby Championship.
Admittedly, their schedule leaves a bit to be desired with two back to back trips to challenging opponents. First up, they are off to Lyon in France this weekend to attempt to deal with a TOP 14 side that put on a very impressive away from home display against Bristol Bears. The Bulls are home for Christmas but then it’s the long flight up to England’s West Country to face off against Bristol’s Bears with the Englishmen looking equally enterprising in attack and capable of some physical grunt as the Bulls did this weekend. Their last match before the knockouts, however, is against Bordeaux, who were one of the only two French teams to record a win this weekend and who feature French superstar winger Damian Penaud. However, it’s at Fortress Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, which should be packed to the rafters if the Bulls go into this game undefeated. Next weekend’s trip to Lyon will tell us more about the Bulls’ fortunes, but we have a strong suspicion that there’s a lot more to write on this story before the knockouts.
So that’s it for this week. Sorry that it has been so long in going to press, but life and work have fumbled us into touch quite a bit since our return from France. Most importantly, we feel genuinely remiss in the fact that it has taken us so long to pay our respects to Bill Webb, and once again, our heartfelt sympathies to his family. In this week’s missive, which has placed so much emphasis on respect, it is only fitting that we start and end with Bill Webb. Missed but never to be forgotten – Rest in Peace Bill and thank you for everything you have done for rugby in Toronto and Canada.
The Lineout 
This piece was well worth waiting for. Well done!
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