BURLINGTON, Ont. (November 11, 2016) – With the Turner Trophy hanging in the balance, the Queen's Gaels and Guelph Gryphons will clash Sunday evening for a third consecutive season in the OUA Men's Rugby Championship.
The match is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm at Varsity Field on the campus of the University of Guelph.
The host Gryphons went unbeaten in the regular season with an 8-0 record and a first place finish atop the standings. However, ask any of the Guelph players and they will tell you that it all comes down to a victory on Sunday as they look to hoist the Turner Trophy as OUA champions for the first time since 1998.
The Gryphons were as dominant a team as you'll find in the conference this year, leading OUA with 423 points scored, while allowing a league low 51 points against in in eight regular season games.
Guelph was led during the regular season by hooker Eric Howard (Kanata, Ont.) who was recently named OUA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and an all-star for a third straight year after he scored six tries this season.
However, the Gryphons will need to find a way to capture the championship without Howard as he has missed the OUA playoffs as he is overseas playing for Team Canada in a November Tour against Ireland, Romania and Samoa.
While it starts with Howard, it definitely doesn't end there as the Gryphons have several key weapons at their disposal.
Guelph scrum half Cody Weese-Burton (Guelph, Ont.) led the conference in both conversions (41) and points (85), while 8-man Jeremy Wright (Fenelon Falls, Ont.) had four tries of his own during the regular season. Another Gryphons standout the Gaels will need to try to contain is flanker Eric Charest-Pekeski (Barrie, Ont.) who had five tries for 25 points and was named an OUA all-star for the third time in his career on Friday.
Not to be outdone, the four-time defending OUA champions counter with a star-studded roster of their own.
Queen's fullback Kainoa Lloyd (Mississagua, Ont.) led the conference with 10 tries while his 54 points was the sixth highest in OUA this season. In just three OUA seasons, the Mississauga, Ont. native already has two all-star nominations and will have a big role to play Sunday in the Gaels "Drive for Five."
The Gaels lineup also features the best all-around player in the conference in centre Michael Douros (Toronto, Ont.), who was recently recognized for his strong offensive and defensive play with the Trillium Award.
While their numbers weren't quite Gryphon-esque during the regular season, 8-man Nicholas DeLallo (Ottawa, Ont.) and the Gaels proved that they can hang points on the board in a hurry. The Ottawa, Ont. native scored seven tries, the fourth highest amount in the league this year.
There might not be anyone on the pitch Sunday who can fill out the score sheet quite like Gaels scrum half Dylan Young (Toronto, Ont.). In just his second season, Young had a team-high nine conversions to go along with a pair of tries and three penalty goals for a total of 37 points, tying him for 10th in OUA.
The Gaels find themselves in a similar position as the Gryphons since they will be without the services of 2015 OUA MVP flanker Lucas Rumball (Toronto, Ont.). Rumball, like Howard, is representing Canada, and was recently named to the starting XV for Canada's senior men's test match against Ireland on Saturday.
However, if their regular season meeting is any indication, fans can expect a hard-fought, low-scoring contest come Sunday evening.
In their first matchup back on Sept. 11, the Gaels opened the scoring in the first half with a Lloyd try giving the visitors an early 5-0 lead. However, Guelph would respond as scrum half Mario Van Der Westhuizen (Mississauga, Ont.) split the uprights on a pair of penalties to give Guelph a slim 6-5 lead at the half.
Guelph's Charest-Pekeski would get in on the action for the Gryphons in the second half as he scored their first try of the afternoon to extend the lead to 11-5. With the Gaels looking to answer deep in Guelph territory, the defence stood tall before fifth year winger Adam Maahs (Port Perry, ON) sealed it with a try of his own in an 18-12 Gryphons victory.
To beat the Gaels in the regular season is one thing; however, to take them out in the postseason is a much taller task, as recent history has proved.
Queen's has bested Guelph in each of the past two championship matches, including last year's gripping final.
In that contest, the Gryphons jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before a Lloyd try and a subsequent conversion made it 7-3 for the Gaels. However, it was short-lived as the Gryphons answered almost immediately as Guelph winger Benjamin Wust (Toronto, Ont.) capitalized on a Gaels turnover with their first try and convert of the afternoon giving them a 10-7 lead. The Gryphons added another try to take a 15-7 lead into half.
After a flurry of scoring in the second half and with the Gaels leading 24-18 late in the game, former Gryphon Riley Di Nardo scored a try late to bring Guelph within a single point. However, a missed Guelph conversion which would prove costly as the Gaels held on to capture their 22nd Turner Trophy, the most of any school in OUA history, by a score of 24-23.
Also on Sunday, the McMaster Marauders and Western Mustangs will meet in the bronze medal match for a second consecutive season. Earlier this year, the Marauders opened the season with a 16-10 win on the road at Western after the Mustangs bested the Marauders 31-17 for capture the bronze in 2015.
Follow @OUAsport on Twitter for updates from both the gold and bronze medal matches Sunday.
