TORONTO — The Toronto Arrows have re-signed veteran prop Rob Brouwer and added former Laval defensive lineman Marc-Antoine Ouellet.
Brouwer, a 38-year-old from Lindsay, Ont., featured in two matches in the pandemic-shortened 2020 Major League Rugby campaign with 18 appearances in total over two seasons with the club.
He made 157 tackles, with a 93.5 per cent completion rate, and scored a pair of tries. In 2019, he was named to the all-MLR first all-star team.
Brouwer has won 11 caps for Canada, becoming the oldest player to debut for the national team in February 2016 when he played against Brazil at the age of 33 years 72 days.
“Rob is a veteran presence who gives us strength and depth in a critical area for us,” Arrows CEO and GM Mark Winokur said in a statement. “As a longtime veteran of the Ontario Blues and Arrows, he brings leadership and knowledge back to the team room and great power to the pitch.”
Ouellet, a prop from Laval, Que., joins the Arrows from Rugby Canada's national development Academy in 2019. The six-foot-three 270-pounder won the Vanier Cup in 2016 with Laval before switching to rugby.
"He had a tremendous football career, but we are glad he has made the swap and we look forward to him anchoring our scrum moving forward," said Winokur.
The 25-year-old is the first Quebecer to sign for the Arrows.
Toronto has now signed 33 players ahead of the club’s 2021 MLR campaign, which starts March 28 at the San Diego Legion.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2020
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press