November 5, 2021
Banner Season: Consistent championship clash to cap off OUA campaign for seventh straight season
Burlington, Ont. - In what has seemingly been yet another collision course to the final fixture, the Queen's Gaels and Guelph Gryphons will wrap up their conference campaigns with a matchup that fans are well accustomed to by now. For the seventh straight season, the two standout squads will meet in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Men's Rugby Championship, with all the action taking place on Saturday, November 6 at Nixon Field.
2021 OUA Men's Rugby Championship | Fan Guide
This weekend's matchup will see a slew of all-stars take to the pitch, as several of the OUA's best will go toe-to-toe with the Turner Trophy on the line. It was a championship-calibre battle the last time the team's tussled for title, with a back-and-forth affair turning into the 25th victory for Queen's on the banner season stage. Not only did that 2019 victory add to their all-time mark, it also extended their winning streak over the Gryphons to three straight seasons.
Having dropped those three consecutive championship games to Queen's, the Gryphons are looking to turn the tables for the first time since 2016. In order to do that, and earn their fourth Turner Trophy in program history, Guelph will need to be at their best when they hit the championship stage. Since dropping an exhibition game to Queen's earlier in the year in what served as a measuring stick type of game, the progression of their season has brought them the opportunity for redemption this weekend, but it won't come easy.
"Queen's has always fielded a squad that prides itself on physicality and we will need to match or exceed that on Saturday if we want to be successful," said head coach Cory Hector. "After having a chance to face them in exhibition play earlier this season, we feel like we matchup very well and the guys are feeling ready for the test that awaits on Saturday.
Contributing to this prepared feeling is the fact that the West Division champions were able to roll through their regular season with a roster full of intimidating talents, building more and more momentum heading into and coming out of their lone playoff fixture against the Brock Badgers a week ago.
Guerschom Mukendi (Stoney Creek, Ont.) is among those headlining this talent-laden group, and does so as someone who has made major strides throughout his university tenure. The OUA all-star picked up right where he left off from his top tier 2019 campaign and has shown that, in his second straight all-star calibre campaign, he continues to be a freight train when running down the pitch. The third-year prop uses his massive frame and physical mindset to his advantage, attributes that should do the Gryphons well against the similarly physical Gaels.
Another of the more physically imposing Gryphons is Cam Hurst, a tall target that seems to frequently find himself as an available option to get the ball in his hands. The Mississauga, Ont. native has been a tremendous asset for Guelph in both ends of the pitch, and standing at 6'7, Hurst is able to stride with the best of them while also putting his height to good use in jump-ball situations.
Blazing down the wing for the Guelph group, meanwhile, is third-year Collin Smibert (London, Ont.). The environmental engineering major must be accounted for in any opponent's game plan, as he has proven his ability time and time again to work his way down the wing and into the end zone throughout his university career. In Guelph's three home games, semifinal included, Smibert has scored four tries for his squad, and along with his fellow Gryphons, will hope to use his skill set in a championship-clinching performance on Saturday.
Despite the consistently impressive makeup of the Guelph roster, they have remained the runners up over the last few season at the hands of the Gaels, and the three-time defending champions will turn to their own trifecta of talents - among a deep roster of productive players - to push that streak to four.
Leading the way for the Gaels is the 2021 player of the year, Liam Casey (Kuala Lumpur), much like he has done throughout the Tricolour's undefeated campaign to date. Despite only playing in three regular season games, Casey found the end zone for five tries to rank second in the conference. He continued his sensational scoring into the postseason with another try in their win over the RMC Paladins, and will surely be a focal point offensively for Queen's in the finale.
Alongside Casey's unique skillset, another four Gaels all-stars will be striving to topple the Gryphons, a group that includes Sam Ibbotson and Will Matthews. The former, a fifth-year wing from Canmore, Alta., got off to a phenomenal start for Queen's this season, en route to earning the OUA's athlete of the week honours in late September. His three tries in the team's opening fixture against Toronto may have accounted for all his regular season scoring on the year, but he found the scoreboard once again as the page turned to postseason play to once again put his scoring touch into focus for this weekend's final.
Matthews, meanwhile, matched Ibbotson's total tries, albeit all within the team's regular season slate, and is a key figure as a back row for the Kingston squad. The third-year native of Montreal, Que, having competed in just one conference championship to date, is hoping to contribute to a similar result in his encore outing, as are the rest of the Gaels competing once again in front of their home crowd.
When two storied programs are able to navigate the field so consistently year over year, it is no surprise to see student-athletes making multiple trips to the banner season finale, but experience such as this will be relied upon as a difference-maker. Both sides not only have that experience, but with the likes of Mukendi and Ibbotson, boast individuals who have also found the scoreboard in this pressure-packed setting. Turning to these trusted players, among others, to perform in the clutch once again will go a long way as the two teams try to find an advantage on Saturday afternoon.
The 2021 OUA Men's Rugby Championship will get underway at 4:30pm on November 6 at Queen's University's Nixon Field and fans can tune in to all the banner season action live on oua.tv.
2021 OUA Men's Rugby Championship | Fan Guide
This weekend's matchup will see a slew of all-stars take to the pitch, as several of the OUA's best will go toe-to-toe with the Turner Trophy on the line. It was a championship-calibre battle the last time the team's tussled for title, with a back-and-forth affair turning into the 25th victory for Queen's on the banner season stage. Not only did that 2019 victory add to their all-time mark, it also extended their winning streak over the Gryphons to three straight seasons.
Having dropped those three consecutive championship games to Queen's, the Gryphons are looking to turn the tables for the first time since 2016. In order to do that, and earn their fourth Turner Trophy in program history, Guelph will need to be at their best when they hit the championship stage. Since dropping an exhibition game to Queen's earlier in the year in what served as a measuring stick type of game, the progression of their season has brought them the opportunity for redemption this weekend, but it won't come easy.
"Queen's has always fielded a squad that prides itself on physicality and we will need to match or exceed that on Saturday if we want to be successful," said head coach Cory Hector. "After having a chance to face them in exhibition play earlier this season, we feel like we matchup very well and the guys are feeling ready for the test that awaits on Saturday.
Contributing to this prepared feeling is the fact that the West Division champions were able to roll through their regular season with a roster full of intimidating talents, building more and more momentum heading into and coming out of their lone playoff fixture against the Brock Badgers a week ago.
Guerschom Mukendi (Stoney Creek, Ont.) is among those headlining this talent-laden group, and does so as someone who has made major strides throughout his university tenure. The OUA all-star picked up right where he left off from his top tier 2019 campaign and has shown that, in his second straight all-star calibre campaign, he continues to be a freight train when running down the pitch. The third-year prop uses his massive frame and physical mindset to his advantage, attributes that should do the Gryphons well against the similarly physical Gaels.
Another of the more physically imposing Gryphons is Cam Hurst, a tall target that seems to frequently find himself as an available option to get the ball in his hands. The Mississauga, Ont. native has been a tremendous asset for Guelph in both ends of the pitch, and standing at 6'7, Hurst is able to stride with the best of them while also putting his height to good use in jump-ball situations.
Blazing down the wing for the Guelph group, meanwhile, is third-year Collin Smibert (London, Ont.). The environmental engineering major must be accounted for in any opponent's game plan, as he has proven his ability time and time again to work his way down the wing and into the end zone throughout his university career. In Guelph's three home games, semifinal included, Smibert has scored four tries for his squad, and along with his fellow Gryphons, will hope to use his skill set in a championship-clinching performance on Saturday.
Despite the consistently impressive makeup of the Guelph roster, they have remained the runners up over the last few season at the hands of the Gaels, and the three-time defending champions will turn to their own trifecta of talents - among a deep roster of productive players - to push that streak to four.
Leading the way for the Gaels is the 2021 player of the year, Liam Casey (Kuala Lumpur), much like he has done throughout the Tricolour's undefeated campaign to date. Despite only playing in three regular season games, Casey found the end zone for five tries to rank second in the conference. He continued his sensational scoring into the postseason with another try in their win over the RMC Paladins, and will surely be a focal point offensively for Queen's in the finale.
Alongside Casey's unique skillset, another four Gaels all-stars will be striving to topple the Gryphons, a group that includes Sam Ibbotson and Will Matthews. The former, a fifth-year wing from Canmore, Alta., got off to a phenomenal start for Queen's this season, en route to earning the OUA's athlete of the week honours in late September. His three tries in the team's opening fixture against Toronto may have accounted for all his regular season scoring on the year, but he found the scoreboard once again as the page turned to postseason play to once again put his scoring touch into focus for this weekend's final.
Matthews, meanwhile, matched Ibbotson's total tries, albeit all within the team's regular season slate, and is a key figure as a back row for the Kingston squad. The third-year native of Montreal, Que, having competed in just one conference championship to date, is hoping to contribute to a similar result in his encore outing, as are the rest of the Gaels competing once again in front of their home crowd.
When two storied programs are able to navigate the field so consistently year over year, it is no surprise to see student-athletes making multiple trips to the banner season finale, but experience such as this will be relied upon as a difference-maker. Both sides not only have that experience, but with the likes of Mukendi and Ibbotson, boast individuals who have also found the scoreboard in this pressure-packed setting. Turning to these trusted players, among others, to perform in the clutch once again will go a long way as the two teams try to find an advantage on Saturday afternoon.
The 2021 OUA Men's Rugby Championship will get underway at 4:30pm on November 6 at Queen's University's Nixon Field and fans can tune in to all the banner season action live on oua.tv.
