On Sunday the men’s rugby team bowed out to the Western Mustangs in the OUA semifinal, for the third consecutive season. In a typically hard-fought match between the two sides, Queen’s fell by a score of 34-0.
In the opening half, the Gaels lived up to their promise of playing aggressive defense against Western, putting up a determined effort that stymied the vaunted Mustang offense with several big tackles. While Western maintained possession for the majority of the first half, Queen’s kept the game within reach by virtue of their strong defensive play, trailing only 10-0 at halftime.
In the second half, the Gaels began to give way to Western’s offensive pressure. The Mustangs scored frequently, led by 2004 OUA MVP Sam Jenkins, who tallied 18 points in the form of a try, three conversions and two penalty kicks. Jenkins led the OUA in scoring last season, and tallied 14 points against Queen’s during a mid-October regular season contest in Kingston.
“We just ran into a very focused, organized, and talented team,” said Queen’s scrum half Kai Sorensen after the game. “They executed well, and controlled the game perfectly by slowing it down whenever it felt like we were gaining any momentum.”
Perhaps the most impressive part of the Mustangs’ performance was their dominance of set plays throughout the game, a somewhat surprising result given that the Queen’s forward pack has earned a reputation around the OUA for its solid work in line-outs and scrums.
“They probably stole over half our line-outs,” said Queen’s assistant coach Luke Folwell. “They had a big forward pack, and they did a great job of spoiling most of our set plays. It made it hard to get any positive momentum.”
The Gaels will look to end their season on a high note in Markham on Friday at noon, when they will face the Brock Badgers in the OUA bronze medal game at Fletcher’s Field. Immediately following that game, players and fans alike will be able to take in the gold medal match, featuring Western and McMaster, at 2:15 p.m..
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