NOLA Gold north of the border to face Toronto Arrows on Sunday

NOLA Gold Rugby concludes a two-game road swing Sunday when it heads north of the border to face the Toronto Arrows.

The 1 p.m. CDT game at  York Alumni Stadium is a rematch of the season opener for both teams Jan. 26 at Gold Stadium, won by NOLA, 36-31.

The Gold is looking to rebound from a tough 34-33 loss at Glendale on March 30. NOLA rallied from significant deficits in each half to take the lead, but Glendale prevailed on a penalty goal in the final seconds.

In spite of the loss, NOLA picked up two points in the MLR standings table – one for losing by seven points or fewer, and another for scoring at least four tries – to remain in first place in the nine-team league.

NOLA, with six wins in eight outings this season, has 33 points, one more than Rugby United New York, which is off this week. Glendale and Seattle entered the week in third and fourth place with 28 and 27 points, respectively.

The Gold continues to have MLR’s most potent offense, with a league-leading 39 tries and 279 points. Toronto is tied for second in the league with 240 points.

South African Tristan Blewett remains tied for the league lead with six tries, with captain Eric Howard in a tie for fourth with five tries.

JP Eloff’s 85 points rank third in the league, including a league-best 27 conversions.

Toronto, which is sixth in the standings table with 22 points, played its first eight games on the road. Sunday’s game against the Gold is the first MLR home game for the franchise.

After Sunday’s match, the Gold will return home to face the Utah Warriors April 13 at 2 p.m.