Barkwill and Howard both contribute to wins in MLR openers

April 23, 2018

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ONTARIO NATIVES IN THE MLR: Two Blues players took to the pitch for Major League Rugby's inaugural matches this past weekend

A pair of Ontario-born hookers were impressive for their Major League Rugby (MLR) clubs, as the new North American professional league officially opened for business this past weekend. Ray Barkwill (Niagara Falls, ON) is a member of the Seattle Seawolves, while Eric Howard (Brantford, ON) is a member of the New Orleans Gold. Both players have caps with the Ontario Blues, as well as the Canadian Senior Men's National Team. 37-year old Barkwill won his first cap for Canada in 2012 vs. Samoa, while 24-year old Howard got his first cap with the red and white in 2016 vs. Brazil.

The Seattle Seawolves hosted the San Diego Legion on Sunday in their inaugural home opener. Fellow Canadian Brock Staller contributed one try, one conversion and two penalty conversions to help the Seawolves past the Legion. Barkwill contributed in set piece situations - providing strength in the scrum and consistency in the line out. Ray was named Man of the Match for his contributions.

NOLA (New Orleans) Gold drew a first game away matchup against the Houston Sabercats. Eric Howard's squad came back from trailing 12-10 at half to defeat the Houston squad 35-26.

For more information, go to www.usmlr.com.

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