Canadian International Kyle Baillie Headed Home
Published on October 21, 2021 under Major League Rugby (MLR)
Toronto Arrows News Release
TORONTO, ON - The Toronto Arrows announced today that the club has acquired lock / flanker Kyle Baillie from the NOLA Gold in exchange for a second-round selection in the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft.
Baillie, 30, returns home to Canada after spending three seasons with the Gold. Widely regarded as one of the top lineout jumpers in North American rugby, Baillie has made 20 appearances for NOLA since debuting for the American club in 2019, including featuring in eight contests throughout 2021 while serving as the Gold's captain.
Last season, the Summerside, P.E.I. native racked up 39 tackles (92.9% completion), 163 carry metres on 39 carries, 145 ruck arrivals, 24 lineout takes, three offloads, two tackle breaks, and two lineout steals while leading his side to a third-place finish in the Eastern Conference.
The 6'5", 245lb forward has collected 32 caps for Canada since making his international debut against the United States in February 2016, including featuring at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Baillie has developed into a regular selection for Canada, notably captaining his nation against Fiji during the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup.
Having played club rugby from coast to coast in Canada, Baillie's overseas career began in Australia with Shute Shield side Eastern Suburbs in 2015. He later played professionally in England, first as a trialist with Saracens in 2017, and later with London Scottish throughout the RFU Championship's 2017-2018 season.
Baillie is a graduate of the Atlantic Rock senior men's provincial program, and played his grassroots rugby with the Castaway Wanderers (British Columbia), St. Albert (Alberta) and Halifax Tars (Nova Scotia).
The forward stands to become the first Prince Edward Islander to feature for the Arrows in MLR play; when Baillie makes his Arrows debut, it will mark the seventh different Canadian province to be represented on an Arrows senior team roster.
"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," said Mark Winokur, Toronto Arrows Chief Operating Officer and General Manager. "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."
"We'd like to thank Ryan Fitzgerald and the Gold for working on this player-first transaction with us. We can't wait to get going with our 2022 roster."
The Arrows have now signed 10 players ahead of the club's 2022 MLR campaign.
The club will be making additional signing announcements in the coming weeks as 2022 season preparations continue to build.
Major League Rugby Stories from October 21, 2021
- Canadian International Kyle Baillie Headed Home - Toronto Arrows
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
