Loss to McGill sets up must-win against Sherbrooke on Oct. 20
The Gee-Gees men’s rugby club faced the McGill club down at Matt Anthony Field on Thursday. McGill sat in third place of the RSEQ before the game with a 2-1 record, while the Gee-Gees sat in fourth place with a 2-2 record.
McGill took the lead early, flanking the Gee-Gees defence on the left side of the field with less than five minutes played in the game to give the men in red and white a 5-0 lead. They’d covert that lead seconds later into a 7-0 one.
The team from Montreal added to their lead minutes later managing to once again overpower the Gee-Gees on their left flank to take a 12-0 lead. McGill would fail to convert for the extra two points.
The rest of the half was much less eventful, with both teams knocking at the door but unable to push through until McGill kicked for a three-point conversion to widen their lead to 15-0
“The message in the room at half was to keep going,” said third-year flyback Brad Murphy. “At that point, we’d have over 80 per cent possession, we have lots of injuries right now so just keep going, keep fighting,”
“Just put it on the gas — they scored off our mistakes so just get her going,” said Noah Toor, a third-year hooker for the Gees.
The Gee-Gees finally provided an answer, scoring 10 minutes into the second half when Duncan Hladik pushed through the McGill defence after a long drive. The Gees then converted for the two extra points cutting McGill’s lead to 15-7.
But, McGill wasn’t done on offence as once again they’d manage to beat the Gees on the left side of the field to make it 22-7. On the next play, McGill player Michael Nwabufo race managed to break free from the Ottawa defence to race all the way down into the Gee-Gees try zone to give his team a 27-7 lead.
McGill would add two more tries and two conversions to take the game 41-7.
“We definitely fought hard,” said rookie back Will Redgate after the game. “It was much closer than the score reflected, we just got to recover and get ready for Sherbrooke in a week.”
With the loss, the Gee-Gees must win their final game against the Sherbrooke Green and Gold if they hope to make it into the playoffs.
“We played one of the best teams in the country tonight,” said Murphy. “If we beat Sherbrooke next week, we’ll be in the playoffs and that’s all that matters.”
That game will take place on Oct. 20 at Matt Anthony Field, with kickoff set for 4 p.m.
Pride night a success
Many LGBTQ2S+ organizations were also present at Matt Anthony Field on Thursday for Pride night.
The Rideau Speedeaus, an inclusive LGBTQ2S+ swim club, was set up close to the field, along with Get Real, an organization that aims to educate and build communities on campuses all around the world. Get Real is currently in the process of applying for club status here at the U of O.
Frontrunners Ottawa was also present, a running club where members of the LGBTQ2S+ community can meet and chat while running and getting exercise.
West Coast Swing was in attendance too, a group that organizes swing dances for the LGBTQ2S+ community.
According to Gee-Gees staffers, fourth-year back Jammes Flemming had a big part to play in organizing this event, along with his coach Steph Crawley.
“It was a collective unit effort really, but I handed out the bandanas to everyone to wear during warmup but a lot more credit goes to our coaching staff and Sports Services,” said Flemming.
Read More:
- James Flemming’s path from a Belleville football team to Matt Anthony Field
- Why do some Gee-Gees teams play in the RSEQ while others play in the OUA?
- Gee-Gees competitive clubs should get more coverage
