The Queen’s men’s rugby team fell short in its quest for an OUA title with a 15-10 loss to the Western Mustangs in London on Sunday.
The Gaels had advanced to the OUA semi-finals with a 31-5 quarter-final victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks at Kingston field on Wednesday.
Queen’s led 10-5 after the first half, where they controlled much of the play but couldn’t open the game up. Three quick tries in the first ten minutes of the second half made it 25-5 and left little hope for a Golden Hawks recovery.
Close to the end of the second half, starting fly-half James Potter was assessed a red card for a punch to the head. The call sent Potter off for the rest of the match, and included a one-game suspension. Several Gaels were visibly unhappy with the call, but the call was not overturned.
Queen’s tries were scored by Beau Chapman, Alistair Clark, Chris Haylock and James Potter, while Ian Gillespie added a convert and three penalty kicks.
Sunday proved to be a different story as first half mistakes ultimately cost the Gaels a trip to the gold medal game. Muddy conditions made for a tight match and a relatively evenly played first half. However, Western capitalized on a couple of isolated defensive breakdowns, stretching the Queen’s defense and finding holes. Western scored an important try in the final play of the first half, distancing themselves from the Gaels by 15 points.
Queen’s played a strong second half, with tries scored by Spencer Cameron and Beau Chapman. Although the two tries brought the Gaels within striking distance of the Mustangs, coach Peter Huigenbos said that they did not come early enough in the half to provide the team with the momentum necessary to complete the comeback.
“They came off the field knowing they had given 100 per cent effort for 80 minutes,” he said. “Unfortunately the bounces didn’t go our way, and in a tight playoff game someone has to lose.”
While the Mustangs advance to the championship, the disappointed Gaels will face Brock for the OUA bronze medal in Markham next weekend. Huigenbos itted that it would be very difficult to refocus for another match after such a disappointing loss, but said, “Our players have withstood a lot of adversity this year, and are focused on ending on a positive note against Brock.”
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