Ian MacAlpine

OUA WOMEN'S RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: No. 3 Queen's at No. 2 Guelph

10/25/2013 1:07:00 PM | By: Courtesy: OUA

HAMILTON, Ont. - The No. 3 Queen's Gaels have a very talented rugby team and are looking to breakthrough for their first championship and end the Guelph reign. The Gaels finished with a perfect 5-0 record in 2013 and a 6-0 record in 2012. They are a fixture at the top of the Russell division, but have been stuck behind one of the country's best.

With a chip on their shoulder, an arsenal of all-stars and the extra motivation of last years' loss, this could be the season for Queen's. They finished with one more point in the standings (25 to Guelph's 24) and have scored more points (102) in the post-season in wins over Trent and Western. Third-year centre Lauren McEwen (Wasaga Beach, Ont.) won the Russell division MVP after scoring five tries, 13 converts and a penalty for the second highest point total in the league (54). McEwen's breakout year lands her on the all-star team for the first time, but she is joined by three-time all-star prop Claragh Pegg (Barrie, Ont.), third-year lock Loren Baldwin (Amherstview, Ont.), rookie wing Karley Heyman (Harrowsmith, Ont.) and senior prop Devon Stride (Kingston, Ont.). Baldwin, Heyman and Stride were all first-time all-stars for Queens's.

The No. 2 Guelph Gryphons are in a class of their own in the OUA women's rugby circuit, having won five consecutive championships. The Gryphs will be looking to match a school (and OUA) record with a sixth straight championship when they host the No. 3 Queen's Gaels in the OUA gold medal game at Varsity Field this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Guelph's dominance over their championship run is nothing short of awe inspiring. The Gryphs haven't lost to an OUA opponent since Oct. 20, 2007, when they dropped a semifinal match to the eventual champion Western Mustangs. Since that loss, they've gone 48-0 against Ontario opponents, including a 10-6 win over Queen's in the 2012 gold medal game.

This season, Guelph scored the most points (298), allowed the fewest (46) and didn't allow a point in two playoff games against Laurier and McMaster. The Gryphons claimed two Shiels division major awards, as fifth-year fullback Caitlin McNally won the Shiels division MVP, posting three tries for 15 points. Additionally, McNally took home her third all-star honour while head coach Colette McAuley won her second coach of the year award in three seasons and third overall.

Guelph has three of the top five scorers in the league in wing centre Daria Keane (Sarnia, Ont.), back fly-half Stephanie Tibelius (Ottawa, Ont.) and all-star eightman Devon Keys (Newmarket, Ont.). Keane cracked the 50-point plateau with 10 tries in four games, Tibelius racked up 46 points with 19 conversions, one try and a penalty and Keys' nine tries gave her 45 points this season.

Second row Brittany Kassil (Guelph, Ont.), fourth-year inside centre Shannon Spurrell (Haley Station, Ont.) and third-year flanker Brittany Priddle (Badjeros, Ont.) all earned all-star designations for Guelph.

In the bronze medal game, Western travels to Hamilton to take on McMaster at Back 10 Field at 3 p.m. Both teams had 3-2 records this season, as McMaster lost to Guelph and Queen's, while Western dropped contests to Guelph and Waterloo.

Keep an eye on Western fullback Breanne Nicholas (Blenheim, Ont.) and McMaster fly half Stephanie Black (Ottawa). Nicholas scored seven tries and five conversions en route to the Shiels division rookie of the year award, while Black led the OUA in scoring with 86 points (nine tries, 19 converts and a penalty).

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