Gryphon rugby men drop Western, clinch playoff berth

LONDON – The Guelph Gryphons extended their win streak over the Western Mustangs to five games Friday night, clinching a berth in the OUA men’s rugby playoffs in the process.

The Gryphs remained unbeaten, lifting their record to 3-0, with a 47-5 victory over Western at Western’s Alumni Field.

Guelph Gryphons 47 Western 5

Top two teams in the five-team West Division qualify for the playoffs.

Guelph scored the first 33 points of the game on their way to the win. Western’s lone try, scored by Drew Neely, came in the second half.

Scorers for Guelph were not available.

The Gryphs lead the OUA West while the Laurier Golden Hawks are second at 2-0 and are followed by the Brock Badgers at 1-1, Waterloo Warriors at 0-2 and Western at 0-3.

Laurier dropped Waterloo 52-24 Friday in the division’s other holiday weekend game.

The Gryphs, who have outscored their opponents 164-33, are to play Laurier at Waterloo’s University Stadium next Saturday at 1 p.m. and have the division’s bye the following weekend, the final weekend of the regular season.

The division final is set for Oct. 30 while winners advance to the OUA final slated for Nov. 6.

The Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship tournament is to be held in Kingston Nov. 24 to 28.

• Guelph Sports Journal