Gryphon rugby men leave Trent Excalibur in their dust
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons celebrated Gryphon Rugby Day with their highest single-game output since, well, who knows when.
In their OUA men’s rugby home opener Saturday at Varsity Field, the Gryphs scored four tries in their first 11 minutes on their way to a 95-0 shellacking of the Trent Excalibur.
Guelph Gryphons 95 Trent Excalibur 0
The Gryphs had two outputs in the 90s during the 2014 season as they scored 90 against the Toronto Varsity Blues Sept. 7 that year and 93 against the Laurier Golden Hawks a few weeks later on Oct. 24.
Scores from seasons earlier than the 2006 season are not available online.
Saturday, the Gryphs led 48-0 at halftime.
“We talked about making sure we kept our playing standards really high and for the most part the guys tried to do that and continued to focus on the pieces we spend time on in training and we tried to replicate that in the good,” Gryphon head coach Cory Hector said. “From that perspective it was really good.”
Eleven Gryphs scored tries in the game as Jack Morris had three of them and Josh Ince and Kobe Faust scored two apiece. Ewan Curry, Josh Henry, Owen Stirling, Brendan Black, Oliver Alpe, Dan Luciani, Owen Williams and Thomas Dallan each scored one try.
Dallan kicked six converts while Faust booted four converts.
The win was the second in as many outings for the two-time defending league champions.
“It’s been excellent. I’m so happy with the way the guys have come back,” Hector said. “I feel like where we ended off last season, we’ve been able to move forward from there already. The potential of this team is really exciting. The new guys who have come in and the guys who have stepped into new roles, it’s just been excellent. I don’t think we had a performance like that last year. This team has something to prove and they want to do something special.”
Being the defending champions means the Gryphs have a target on their backs as teams look to dethrone the champs.
“We talk about that every year,” Hector said. “We should get everybody’s best game because everybody wants to have a go at us. Two years in a row now we have won and everybody wants to knock off the champs so we have to expect everybody’s best game which is great. That motivates the guys knowing that people want to get one over them.”
When the Gryphs are consistently battling the best other teams have to offer, they’re only going to get better themselves.
“It’s only going to make us better and hopefully we keep getting good games and good competition, physical competition,” Hector said. “Obviously, it’s nice to score a lot of points. Last week against Laurier, it was physical and we got worked. It’s all exciting.”
While the Gryphs get a week away from league play, they won’t get a week away from game competition.
“We’ll have our extended roster and we’ll play an exhibition game with TMU and then Sept. 30th down at Queen’s,” Hector said. “Obviously there’s a good rivalry there. We saw them in preseason so we’re looking forward to that one.”
Game time against the Queen’s Gaels at Kingston Sept. 30 is 2 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal
Gryphon rugby men leave Trent Excalibur in their dust
GUELPH – The Guelph Gryphons celebrated Gryphon Rugby Day with their highest single-game output since, well, who knows when.
In their OUA men’s rugby home opener Saturday at Varsity Field, the Gryphs scored four tries in their first 11 minutes on their way to a 95-0 shellacking of the Trent Excalibur.
Guelph Gryphons 95
Trent Excalibur 0
The Gryphs had two outputs in the 90s during the 2014 season as they scored 90 against the Toronto Varsity Blues Sept. 7 that year and 93 against the Laurier Golden Hawks a few weeks later on Oct. 24.
Scores from seasons earlier than the 2006 season are not available online.
Saturday, the Gryphs led 48-0 at halftime.
“We talked about making sure we kept our playing standards really high and for the most part the guys tried to do that and continued to focus on the pieces we spend time on in training and we tried to replicate that in the good,” Gryphon head coach Cory Hector said. “From that perspective it was really good.”
Eleven Gryphs scored tries in the game as Jack Morris had three of them and Josh Ince and Kobe Faust scored two apiece. Ewan Curry, Josh Henry, Owen Stirling, Brendan Black, Oliver Alpe, Dan Luciani, Owen Williams and Thomas Dallan each scored one try.
Dallan kicked six converts while Faust booted four converts.
The win was the second in as many outings for the two-time defending league champions.
“It’s been excellent. I’m so happy with the way the guys have come back,” Hector said. “I feel like where we ended off last season, we’ve been able to move forward from there already. The potential of this team is really exciting. The new guys who have come in and the guys who have stepped into new roles, it’s just been excellent. I don’t think we had a performance like that last year. This team has something to prove and they want to do something special.”
Being the defending champions means the Gryphs have a target on their backs as teams look to dethrone the champs.
“We talk about that every year,” Hector said. “We should get everybody’s best game because everybody wants to have a go at us. Two years in a row now we have won and everybody wants to knock off the champs so we have to expect everybody’s best game which is great. That motivates the guys knowing that people want to get one over them.”
When the Gryphs are consistently battling the best other teams have to offer, they’re only going to get better themselves.
“It’s only going to make us better and hopefully we keep getting good games and good competition, physical competition,” Hector said. “Obviously, it’s nice to score a lot of points. Last week against Laurier, it was physical and we got worked. It’s all exciting.”
While the Gryphs get a week away from league play, they won’t get a week away from game competition.
“We’ll have our extended roster and we’ll play an exhibition game with TMU and then Sept. 30th down at Queen’s,” Hector said. “Obviously there’s a good rivalry there. We saw them in preseason so we’re looking forward to that one.”
Game time against the Queen’s Gaels at Kingston Sept. 30 is 2 p.m.
- Guelph Sports Journal