Comeback nets Gryphon rugby men quarter-final win

LANGLEY, B.C. – The Guelph Gryphons staged a second-half comeback to slip by the Trinity Western Spartans 12-10 in quarter-final play Wednesday at the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship tournament.

Fourth-seeded Trinity Western’s Matthew Willemse scored on a penalty kick to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Willemse added to the lead for the Spartans early in the second half with a try and a convert.

The fifth-seeded Gryphs started their comeback about six and a half minutes after Willemse’s try as Brenden Black scored a try and Tomas Dallan added a convert.

Kobe Faust added the winning try for the Gryphs on the final play of the match.

The other quarter-finals saw the Memorial Sea-Hawks drop the Ottawa Gee-Gees 33-21, Victoria Vikes down Queen’s Gaels 40-19 and UBC Thunderbirds dump Calgary Dinos 41-3.

The Gryphs and UBC are to tangle in semifinal play Friday at 10:30 p.m.

• Guelph Sports Journal