In dominating fashion, the Queen’s Men’s Rugby team has punched their ticket to the OUA Championship and secured a berth at the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship (CUMRC).
This achievement comes as no surprise for a team that consistently displayed its talent throughout the regular season, finishing with and winning games by margins exceeding 50 points.
Their first-round opponent, the sixth seeded Brock Badgers, experienced this dominance firsthand in a 57-12 blowout during the last regular season game. In their rematch just two weeks later, the Gaels carried that momentum into the playoffs, besting their previous 45-point margin with a resounding 67-5 victory.
This win set up a highly anticipated matchup against the undefeated, second-seeded Western Mustangs. Despite Western’s stronger regular season record, Queen’s entered the game with confidence, boasting a 12-game unbeaten streak against the Mustangs, dating back to 2012.
Traveling to London, the Gaels aimed to extend their streak and secure their spot in both the provincial finals and the national championship tournament. They delivered an offensive masterclass, with Owen Lee, Comm’ 26, scoring two tries, complemented by seven more from his teammates, sealing a decisive 57-14 victory.
First-year Head Coach John Lavery has led the Gaels to an impressive season thus far, as they seek their first championship since 2019. However, their toughest challenge lies ahead in the OUA Championship against the Guelph Gryphons this Friday, Nov. 8. These two teams have dominated the conference for the past 12 years, making their finals clash highly anticipated.
The Gryphons have been the team to beat in recent years, winning all three post-COVID-19 OUA Championships. However, the Gaels are looking to reclaim their championship form, reminiscent of their seven titles in eight years between 2012 and 2019.
Their regular season meeting was a close contest, with Guelph narrowly edging out a 35-31 win. The Gaels will undoubtedly draw lessons from that match to make this final a must-watch showdown.
Regardless of the outcome, Queen’s will compete at the CUMRC in Ottawa from Nov. 13 to 17. There, they’ll face the formidable UBC Thunderbirds, who have claimed every national title except one since the tournament’s inception.
You can watch Queen’s as they chase their OUA and National Championship dreams Nov. 8 on OUA.tv, and Nov. 13 to 17 on therugbynetwork.com
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