GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's rugby team has become accustomed to crossing the try line with regularity. The potent Gryphons kept up their torrid offensive pace in a convincing 59-28 win over the Trent Excalibur at Varsity Field Friday night.
The damp, cold conditions didn't stop Guelph from cranking up the pressure and ultimately snap Trent's three-match win streak thanks to a 33-point, second-half outburst. Fourth-year flanker
Marcello Wainwright scored the first two tries for the Gryphons, while
Erich Milne and
John Sheridan added two each.
Wainwright, the reigning
Gryphon Muscle MLK Male Athlete of the Week, put in more great work to get the hosts off and running. He opened the scoring with a try in the 12th minute and then touched down again about six minutes later, for his eighth and ninth of the season. Guelph made one of the two convert attempts to build a 12-0 lead.
Trent would answer back in the 22
nd minute when lock Charles Oulton produced a try to get the visitors within five following Fawad Nasseri's successful convert. And after Guelph scored a couple straight tries to build a 26-7 lead, the Excalibur showed no quit as second-year man Emerson Prior touched down two times in a row to cut the deficit to 26-21 heading into halftime.
But the experienced Gryphons started the second half well and slammed the door shut, scoring the next five tries.
Guelph had several excellent performances including good work from Wainwright and Sheridan, as well as
Jordan Hofstra and 6-7 rookie
Cameron Hurst, who both came off the bench to spark the team.
The Gryphons entered the night tied for second in the OUA with the Laurier Golden Hawks, behind only the undefeated defending-champions Queen's Gaels. Guelph wraps up the regular season next Saturday against Laurier in Waterloo.
Turning Point
It was a tight match at the half as Trent rallied to get within five thanks Prior's back-to-back tries. Guelph then scored 33 unanswered points to run away with the match. The impressive run began with Milne's second try of the night, coming in the 43
rd minute and when
Alexander Chaffey scored four minutes later, the match was pretty much decided.
Gryphon Take
"It was a good, hard-hitting game. Trent worked really hard. The guys did what they needed to do in the first half and we responded well in the second. We'll have some work to do moving forward when we face Laurier next week." –
assistant coach Gary Robinson
The Record
Guelph is 6-1.
Next up
@ Laurier, Saturday, Oct. 20, 1 pm
Scoring Summary
| Minute |
University |
Type of Score |
Player |
Convert |
Match Score |
| 12' |
Guelph |
Try |
M. Wainwright |
Good (Weese-Burton) |
7-0 Guelph |
| 18' |
Guelph |
try |
M. Wainwright |
Missed |
12-0 Guelph |
| 22' |
Trent |
Try |
C. Oulton |
|
12-7 Guelph |
| 24' |
Guelph |
Try |
J. Gelbart |
Good (Weese-Burton) |
19-7 Guelph |
| 26' |
Guelph |
Try |
E. Milne |
Good (Weese-Burton) |
26-7 Guelph |
| 32' |
Trent |
Try |
E. Prior |
Good (F. Nasseri) |
26-14 Guelph |
| 40' |
Trent |
Try |
E. Prior |
Good (F. Nasseri) |
26-21 Guelph |
| 43' |
Guelph |
Try |
E. Milne |
Missed |
31-21 Guelph |
| 47' |
Guelph |
Try |
A. Chaffey |
Good (Weese-Burton) |
38-21 Guelph |
| 52' |
Guelph |
Try |
J. Hofstra |
Good (Van der Westhuizen) |
45-21 Guelph |
| 56' |
Guelph |
Try |
J. Sheridan |
Good (Van der Westhuizen) |
52-21 Guelph |
| 67' |
Guelph |
Try |
J. Sheridan |
Good (Van der Westhuizen) |
59-21 Guelph |
| 79' |
Guelph |
Try |
Q. Nasseri |
Good (F. Nasseri) |
59-28 Guelph |
