The Toronto Arrows signed Corey Thomas for the 2023 Major League Rugby season after the Toronto Arrows received his signing rights in a trade with San Diego Legion for salary cap considerations. The Legion had selected him in the 2022 MLR dispersal draft. The 28-year-old lock/blindside flanker is 6’4″ and 245 lbs.
Corey played 836 minutes in 11 matches, starting 7, for the LA Giltinis in 2022. He played 543 minutes in 13 matches, starting 6, and scored 2 tries for the Giltinis in 2021.
Corey is Canadian-qualified through his father Phillip who was born in Edmonton, Canada. He made his debut for the Canadian National team against England at Twickenham on July 10, 2021, and the last of his 11 tests (10 starts) was against Namibia in November 2022.
Corey is from Broome, Western Australia. He played rugby for the Perth Spirit in the inaugural National Rugby Championship in 2014-2015. He then moved to Brisbane and played with GPS Club before signing with the 2015 championship-winning Brisbane City.
Corey moved to Japan to play in the Japan Top League with the Canon Eagles during the 2016-2017 season.
The signing of emerging prospect Corey Thomas shows how strongly the LA Giltinis are invested in Major League Rugby’s mission to improve American and Canadian rugby. In 2018-2019 he played with the Kamaishi Seawaves in the Challenge League and in 2019-2020 with the Super Rugby Sunvolves.
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