OUA Men's Rugby Roundup (Oct. 23)
October 20, 2017
Western 0 Guelph 56
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons men's rugby team will get some well-earned rest. The Gryphons secured second spot in the regular season OUA standings and an all-important bye to the conference semi-finals by defeating the Western Mustangs 56-0 Friday night at Varsity Field.
The defending champions will host one OUA semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 5 against an opponent still to be determined.
It was another dominant display for Guelph (7-1). The Gryphons have manufactured three straight shutouts and outscored opponents 131-0 in the three matches since suffering their only loss of the season to the Queen's Gaels on Sept. 30 in Kingston.
Since then, they have been almost perfect.
"The guys have just bought in to what we're trying to do," said head coach Cory Hector. "And they have carried what we've done in training into the matches. There's a seriousness about them that's making both training and games fun."
Fourth-year wing Jordan Hofstra and third-year flanker Marcello Wainwright scored two tries each for Guelph, while first-year fly half John Sheridan, third-year centre Kyle Lagasca, third year 8th man Kolby Francis, and rookie centre MacLain Wakefield each added a try.
The Gryphons realized they were in a battle early on against Western as the sides went back and forth without scoring for almost 20 minutes to start the match. Then Hostra got things going when he exploded down the left wing for the first try of the night in the 19th minute. The floodgates opened from there.
"That got us on the board and from that point, the guys kept applying pressure," Hector said of Hofstra's first try. "We smothered them."
Sheridan scored a try in the 25th minute, followed by Lagasca in the 30th. Francis added another try in the 36th as Guelph built a massive 28-0 lead over the Mustangs (5-3) at the half, before adding more offence after the break, beginning with two straight Wainwright tries.
While the Gryphons have been building momentum since the setback in Kingston and would love to keep their impressive run going, the bye will be welcome.
"It's critical to get some additional rest," said Hector. "We're healthy but beat up physically so we look forward to the week off.
"It will also give us a chance to look at our potential opponent and spend that time prepping for the semi-final."
Source: gryphons.ca
Other Scores:
RMC 0 Laurier 66
October 21, 2017
Queen’s 62 McMaster 18
HAMILTON (October 21, 2017) The Gaels Men's rugby team (8-0) closed out their regular season undefeated with a big win in Hamilton over the McMaster Marauders (5-3) with a final score of 62-18. The Gaels finish the season 1st in the OUA and will get a bye from the opening round of playoffs along with securing home field throughout the second season.
GAME FLOW
Kainoa Llyod (Mississauga, Ont.) led the team fresh off a stint with the Rugby Canada National 'A' team as he put down three tries on the afternoon for the Gaels.
Will McArthur (Brantford, Ont.) also found the try-zone twice in this outing. Overall the Gaels managed to score 10 tries, continuing their trend of high scoring games.
McMaster also managed to find some holes in the Gaels defence, putting up three majors themselves.
The Gaels finish the season 8-0 in David Butcher's first year as head coach.
With a high powered offence and a stout defence, the Gaels are in good shape heading into the OUA playoffs. They have not only secured a bye in the first round but also secured home field advantage for the duration of the OUA playoffs.
BY THE NUMBERS
18- 2nd most points allowed by the Gaels this season
5- Alex Colborne hit five conversions on the day
Source: gogaelsgo.com
Other Scores:
Trent 13 Brock 14
October 22, 2017
Waterloo 59 Toronto 18
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's rugby team concluded their 2017 season with a 59-18 loss to the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday, October 22 at Varsity Stadium.
The Blues end the season with a 1-7 record in ninth place in the OUA standings. Toronto notched their first win in five seasons over the Trent Excalibur on Sept. 16.
Toronto tries were scored by third-year prop Aaron Sommerhalder, second-year full back Faiyaz Lokhandwala as well as fourth-year flanker John Stewart. Lokhandwala also added a penalty goal in the loss.
Source: varsityblues.ca