WOLFVILLE, Nova Scotia – The dream of a third national championship is over for this season. The three-time defending OUA champion Guelph Gryphons women's rugby team battled for 80 minutes plus but didn't have enough to overcome the StFX X-Women as they fell 41-24 in the U SPORTS title match at Raymond Field in Wolfville, NS.
The final was a clash of styles as the creative and quick Gryphons had to contend with the sheer size and power of StFX.
Guelph showed the heart of a champion in jumping out to an early lead and fighting back when trailing but the X-Women ultimately wore the Ontario champs down to secure the AUS side's sixth national title.
Gryphon head coach Colette McAuley had nothing but praise for her exhausted players, whom she felt deserved a better fate.
"This group is exceptional," McAuley said after the match. " We had some hard knocks in this tournament. They were tough and courageous in their defence, the way they played against those girls, who had a lot of advantage in size. They were just great."
Fourth-year fly half
Julia Schell, second-year hooker
Erika Barton, second-year wing
Rebecka Sundell, and third-year prop
Brodie Schmidt each had a try for the Gryphons, who lost for the only time in a memorable 2018 season.
StFX began to take control of the match late in the first half with its massive forwards group and the trend continued in the second half. The X-Women struck early when they took the ball from Guelph and once again chewed up yards before prop Sam Lake touched down for a 26-14 lead.
While StFX relied on its trademark power rugby, the Gryphons were far from finished. Guelph put together a good drive and as
Talia Hoffman was about to be taken down by a defender right at the try line, she flipped it to Sundell, who exploded across for a massive five points. The kick missed and the Gryphons trailed by just seven at 26-19.
But the X-Women got two more tries from the powerful Lake, including a final score in added time, and a Danielle Franada penalty kick, to build the necessary cushion and put the match away. The All-Canadian Schmidt gave the AUS champions something to think about when she took a page out of the opponent's book and powered in to make it 36-24 in the 73rd minute.
"Our game plan was to keep the game up tempo," said the coach, who pointed out that she would have liked to have had back a few possessions that ended in turnovers. "We wanted to try and move them around the park as much as possible. We had to keep our depth and our trust in our passing. Sometimes we got a little too flat and therefore that next pass couldn't be made or we didn't trust that pass to go to hand. We needed to keep that ball out of contact and stay low to the ground. We got caught up high and we have been able to fight our way down but today we couldn't. It hurt us in the end."
The two sides exchanged tries through an exhilarating first half. Guelph got a dream start after kicking off and turning the ball over in the StFX end. Schell took the ball from about 10 yards out and made a darting run before touching down in the second minute to fire up the Gryphons.
That great feeling was tempered quickly as All-Canadian lock
Emilie Nicholl was forced out of the game with an upper body injury after taking a brutal hit, which was the norm in the extremely physical match. And the X-Women struck right back, winning a lineout deep in the Gryphons' end before captain Joanna Alphonso ploughed in for a try to tie it at 7-7 with the successful convert.
The OUA champs didn't seem phased and they got right back into the StFX end with a huge run from Sundell. Guelph would score again after Schell took a quick tap that caught the X-Women off guard and the All-Canadian sent an offload to Barton, who burst in to put her side back up 14-7.
StFX came back down the pitch and while the Gryphons made an excellent stand denying a few attempts right in front of the try line, Olivia DeMerchant was able to power it across and touch down from a yard out to tie the match up. And X-Women maintained the momentum when Amelia Hatfield finished another possession from in close in the 38
th minute, though Franada's kick hit the right upright for a 19-14 lead.
It was a tough defeat to accept for the Gryphons, who not only missed the presence of Nicholl but also fellow All-Canadian centre
Emmanuela Jada. The Guelph native hurt her knee in the opening win over Victoria on Thursday and was unable to play in the rest of the tournament.
"To lose someone of Emily's work rate around the pitch and Jada's finishing speed hurts the team," said McAuley. "We adapted pretty well. One or two players doesn't make a team but they're exceptional. That (Nicholl's injury) rattled the team a little bit. It took a couple of phases to get back in the swing of things, though, and we were back on track.
"It was tight at half and we were in it. The breakdowns just didn't go our way and we couldn't get possession back."
Despite the loss, there is much to celebrate with a third straight OUA title and three impressive performances at nationals, beginning with a convincing 54-10 victory over Victoria in the quarter-final and a gutty 15-12 defeat of defending U SPORTS champion Ottawa in the semi-final before pushing the X-Women Sunday.
"We accomplished a lot this season, checked many boxes and met a lot of goals we set forth for ourselves," said McAuley. "The girls were gritty this year and adapted well. We got better each week and they really played for each other, and it showed in each game. I was really proud of them. Every time we threw something at them, they were able to adapt. We have such a great coaching staff here who challenged them and they were up for it each time."
McAuley didn't shy away from giving her thoughts on the decisive difference in styles between her side and the champions. She emphasized the fact the Gryphon program is set up to develop skillful players, who can adapt to different situations and play a game that is both expansive and exciting.
"They deserved better this tournament," the coach said of her talented side. "It was pretty heartbreaking to lose to that style of play that doesn't encompass the true nature of the sport.
"It's just unfortunate that the style of play is still in existence. But it wins championships at this level and that's why St FX has the most championships across the country. That style in the cold November weather often prevails."
Scoring Summary
| Minute |
University |
Type of Score |
Player |
Convert |
Match Score |
| 2' |
Guelph |
Try |
J. Schell |
Good (Brattan) |
7-0 Guelph |
| 7' |
St FX |
Try |
J. Alphonso |
Good (Franada) |
7-7 |
| 17' |
Guelph |
Try |
E. Barton |
Good (Brattan) |
14-7 Guelph |
| 24' |
St FX |
Try |
O. DeMerchant |
Good (Franada) |
14-14 |
| 28' |
St FX |
Try |
A. Hatfield |
Missed |
19-14 St FX |
| 42' |
St FX |
Try |
S. Lake |
Good (Franada) |
26-14 St FX |
| 48' |
Guelph |
Try |
B. Sundell |
Missed |
26-19 St FX |
| 56' |
St FX |
Try |
S. Lake |
Good (Franada) |
33-19 St FX |
| 68' |
St FX |
Penalty Kick |
D. Franada |
|
36-19 St FX |
| 73' |
Guelph |
Try |
B. Schmidt |
Missed |
36-24 St FX |
| 81' |
St FX |
Try |
S. Lake |
|
41-24 St FX |
Players of the Game
GUELPH – Kylie Shaughnessey
St FX – Amelia Hatfield
