Toronto Arrows & Morgan Mitchell

The Toronto Arrows have signed Morgan Mitchell for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. The 25-year-old, 5’7″, and a 249-pound prop is from Gore, New Zealand and was born hearing impaired.

Morgan began playing rugby when he was 5-years-old. He attended Gore Main School and then Gore High School where he was a star athlete. He athletic prowess drew national attention and played for the Under-17s in New Zealand.

His hearing had progressively declined and he played the majority of his rugby without the use of a hearing aid that was regularly worn outside of competition and some adjustments were made through reading lips. Finally, after becoming completely deaf in 2016, he had a cochlear implant that has been a life changer, hearing new sounds, and allowing him to continue with the sport that he loves.

Listen to the video and read more about how Morgan has overcome auditory barriers and of how he made history as the first deaf player to feature in a top tier rugby competition, the Mitre 10 Cup with the Southland Stags.

Morgan has switched rugby positions over the years. While playing in high school he played No. 8, switched to hooker for Senior rugby, and in 2012 switched to tighthead prop.

He has played for the Southland Stags since 2014 and had the chance to play with his brother Brayden 2015 on the team. Morgan also trained in Dunedin alongside the Highlanders Super Rugby team. He progressed through the Southland age-group ranks and into the Stags and now leaves the 2018 SIT Zero Fees Southland Stags following the season’s conclusion for the Toronto Arrows.

Morgan will be an asset for the Toronto Arrows as they enter the 2019 Major League Rugby season. Good tighthead props are at a premium and if match circumstances dictate, he can shift to hooker, if needed.