Men’s rugby defends OUA title

Gaels pummel Western to claim second straight provincial crown

Queen's scored 33 straight points en route to their second consecutive OUA title.
Queen's scored 33 straight points en route to their second consecutive OUA title.

For the second year in a row, men’s rugby claimed OUA supremacy with a victory over the Western Mustangs.

A second-half scoring explosion propelled the Gaels to the championship win this afternoon at Nixon Field. Queen’s scored 33 unanswered points in the final 40 minutes, turning a 10-7 deficit into a 40-10 win.

The game was a rematch of both the 2011 and 2012 OUA finals. Queen’s and Western split those two contests.

Western opened the scoring today with a ninth-minute penalty goal, taking a 3-0 lead.

Unlike the 2012 title game, which saw Queen’s score two minutes in, the Gaels didn’t respond until Matt Mullins’ try in the 29th minute. Adam McQueen added a conversion to give the Gaels the 7-3 lead.

Just before the break, James Ojo’s try and Mike Turnbull’s successful conversion put the Mustangs back up by three points. These were the last points the Gaels conceded in the game.

In the second half, it was Queen’s turn to shine, with forward James Dent’s try in the 45th minute giving the Gaels the lead for good.

McQueen hit his second of five conversions on the day to make the score 14-10 for Queen’s.

Tommy Kirkham’s try in the 60th minute sparked a run of 26 points in 15 minutes for the Gaels. Brendan Sloan and Jacob Rumball both added tries, while Mullins scored his second of the game. McQueen would also succeed on three more conversions.

The title is the Gaels’ 19th provincial championship win and the third during head coach Peter Huigenbos’s tenure with the team.

Tags

Gaels, Huigenbos, Men's rugby, Western

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