Gryphons use late push to defeat Gaels for second straight title
GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons Women’s Rugby team has done it again. The 2016 OUA champions successfully defended their title, surviving a second-half rally from a tough Queen’s Gaels side to win 43-17 in front a big crowd at Varsity Field.
Fifth-year scrum half Chloe Runge was a catalyst down the stretch, scoring two important tries to put the match out of reach, while also helping the Gryphons’ to their second consecutive title and seventh championship in the past 10 years. And they had to show their will late to secure it, as Queen’s began the second half with 12 unanswered points to get within five points.
“It’s hard to repeat,” said an ecstatic Colette McAuley, who was named OUA Coach of the Year this week. “After the game, all I said was, ‘Back-to-back, ladies.’ They earned it.”
“It’s something they feel,” McAuley added of her players’ self-imposed pressure to get the OUA title. “I told them to make sure that they turn any anxiety into adrenalin. The bigger heart is going to win.”
The Gaels were the team showing heart after the second half got underway. Guelph jumped out to a commanding 22-5 lead but missed a kick right before halftime that would’ve extended the lead by three more. And Queen’s pounced in the first five minutes of the second half with a try that made it 22-10 after a missed conversion.
When third-year fullback Nadia Popov raced in from about 60 yards out in the 10th minute of the half, the visitors were back in the match at 22-17. Queen’s had mounted the same comeback against Guelph in the season opener and came up just short in a 38-31 Gryphons’ win.
“We ended up in a really similar situation here in week one, where we had to claw back to get into the game,” said Queen’s head coach Dan Valley. “We did it well there so we knew it was something we had in us.
“Our big focus was let’s work 30 seconds at a time. Let’s win that battle and the next one. That’s how we approach things. They’ve really embraced that and we saw it from minute one to minute 80. We were eyes up, eyes forward and did a good job answering.”
Guelph responded well by pushing the ball deep into the Gaels’ end but on several occasions, the defending champions turned the ball over within yards of the end line. The normally-fast-paced, fluid Gryphons then opted to control and protect the ball, grinding it out as opposed to using their speed to go wide. Runge finally punched one in from a few yards out in the 26th minute of the half, a critical try that made it 29-17 Guelph.
Runge wasn’t done there, though. The veteran added another about eight minutes later that put the match out of reach for a courageous Gaels side.
“We were in their end for what felt like a long time, phase after phase, and not getting anywhere,” said Runge. “We have a lot of individual talent but we also play well as a team. We began punching it and drawing in their defence. Those gaps opened and we jumped on those opportunities.”
McAuley praised the work of her veteran 8th man and Shiels Division All-star Kylie Shaughnessy, who played the last 20 minutes despite suffering a pinched nerve in her neck in last week’s OUA semi-final win over York. Shaughnessy was cleared by the doctor and had no risk of worsening the injury so with the match tight, the fourth-year player was called upon.
“I told her, ‘if we don’t need you, we’ll save you for Nationals,’” McAuley said. “At 22-17, her leadership, ability to turn over ball, and her energy on the field was pretty hard to match. She was awesome.”
Valley said that Guelph was a talented and well-coached side so he wasn’t surprised that the Gryphons took advantage when they gained some forward momentum.
“As most games at this level go, if you give good teams opportunities, they’ll capitalize on it, just like we took advantage of the opportunities afforded us,” he said. “We made a couple more errors today than Guelph and they punished us.”
The Gaels’ resilience in the second-half was impressive given Guelph’s play early. Th champions got on the board first when third-year fly half and Shiels Division All-Star Julia Schell took advantage of a Queen’s turnover and scored a try in the eighth minute.
Queen’s would answer with a McKinley Hunt try in the 15th minute, though the conversion was no good, leaving the Gaels behind 7-5. Speedy fourth-year wing Emily Samek helped set up the next Guelph try with a huge run up the field before Amara Hill finished it off from in close.
Samek played a key role later in the first half when exploded down the field, but was tackled high by a Queen’s defender, who was the last person back. The play resulted in a yellow card for Queen’s and an automatic try awarded, giving the Gryphons a 22-5 lead at the break.
It was a disappointing result for the Gaels but the talented side showed their potential in a tough environment. Valley said that they were a fun group to work with, a team that enjoys going to work every day.
He said their reaction after the match was interesting.
“There were no tears,” Valley said. “They know we didn’t perform an entire 80 minutes and Guelph did. That was the difference. It tells me a lot, that we’re certainly moving in the right direction.”
For graduating players like Runge, the experience was incredible – just like her entire career as a Gryphon rugby player.
“I am thrilled,” she said with a beaming smile. “We go week by week, game by game and last Saturday after we defeated York, this was our focus. We put everything into it all week and it paid off.
“It has been the best five years of my life. These girls are my family. I couldn’t imagine going through university without them. It wouldn’t be what it was without them and I wouldn’t be here without them.”