With Marcello Wainwright out injured and listed as day-to-day, his Toronto Arrows teammates four-match winning streak to start the 2020 Major League Rugby season was snapped with them dropping a close 22-19 contest to the Colorado Raptors.
Colorado opened the scoring with a pair of penalty goals from the boot of Raptors center Robbie Petzer, the first and second of four he would hit on the evening.
After a Sam Malcolm penalty goal halved Toronto’s deficit, Colorado scored a well-worked team try that began with a strong run from flanker Connor Cook and ended with wing John Ryberg dotting down.
The Arrows responded quickly, and it was through the hands of Uruguayan international Gaston Mieres. After breaking the line, the versatile outside back juked his way across the try line for his second tally in as many matches.
Late penalty goals from both sides saw the hosts hold a 14-13 lead entering the interval.
The second half opened with a try from Raptors wing Mika Kruse, who capitalized off an Arrows handling error to race in for the score.
The bulk of the second frame was colored with several errors and infringements from both teams, slowing the pace of play and making it difficult for either side to find rhythm, but Malcolm was able to add two more penalty goals through the mid-stages of the half to draw the match level. The decisive play fell in the 76th minute, with Petzer’s connecting on his fourth penalty to put the hosts ahead for good. The Arrows would have one final drive in the dying seconds of the match, but the ball was stripped meters from the line, and Colorado retained possession until the referee indicated that time was up.
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