The Toronto Arrows added Reid Watkins for the remainder of the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 27-year-old scrumhalf is 5’10”, 187 lbs, and is from Okotoks, Alberta, Canada.
Reid attended Holy Trinity Academy from 2010-2012 and was a two-time Canadian High School Wrestling champion. He began playing rugby with Foothills U14 Lions, which was from Okotoks. He competed in the High school provincial championship, the Canadian Junior National Wrestling competition, and won the Pan-American wrestling championship while in high school. Following the tournament, he traveled to England with Team Canada in rugby.
Reid attended Simon Fraser University from 2012-2017, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomechanical Physiology and Kinesiology. He was selected to the Canadian All-American team in wrestling, while a member of the university team, and represented Canada at the World Championships.
He was a wrestling referee with the British Columbia Wrestling Association, a coach with the Okotoks Wrestling Club, and a rugby coach with Foothills Lions Rugby Club.
Reid played representative rugby with the British Columbia Bears, including in the CRC Final in 2019, and against the RAF in their centenary tour. He played club rugby with the Calgary Hornets and Burnaby Lake RFC, played with the British Columbia All-Stars, Vancouver Island Crimson Tide, and the Vancouver Wave. In 2019 he played with the USA Rugby South Panthers in their match against the Cayman Islands, and in 2021 for the Hartford Harpooners against Colorado XO.
In March 2021, he joined the Rugby ATL Pathway 404 Academy and now joins the Toronto Arrows MLR professional team for their remaining two 2021 regular-season matches.
Toronto Arrows Comments
The Toronto Arrows signed utility back Alex Russell and scrumhalf Reid Watkins for the remainder of the 2021 MLR season. Watkins, 27, arrives at the Arrows from Rugby ATL’s Pathway 404 Academy, where he has been training since March.
“We’re pleased to add two skillful Canadian backs with top-tier representative experience for our final stretch of the 2021 season,” said Mark Winokur, Toronto Arrows Chief Operating Officer, and General Manager. “With more than a dozen vacancies on our roster due to international selections, Alex and Reid are filling some sizable gaps in key positions. With both players getting in matches earlier this spring, we know they’re keen to hit the ground running and make an instant impact.”
The Arrows have two matches remaining in their third campaign in North America’s top-flight professional rugby league, with all fixtures to be played in the club’s temporary home of Atlanta.
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