GUELPH, Ont. – For five consecutive years, the Guelph Gryphons men's rugby team has earned the right to compete for the coveted Turner Trophy. It's a reflection of the program's evolution that this season's fifth-year players will have played for an OUA championship every year they have laced up their boots as Gryphons.

Guelph is the only side to have put a dent in Queen's recent dynasty with a gratifying win in 2016.
 
That was the third banner in school history. The Gryphons have the opportunity to add to that total – and a veteran-laden team is ready to seize it when the two rivals meet again Sunday afternoon at Nixon Field in Kingston.
 
"There's a business-like approach to everything," head coach Cory Hector said of the mood with his players this past week. "We have a full group of fifth-years who have been there every year, fourth-years who have been there for four years, and third-years who have been there for three. It's very much familiar territory and the guys are approaching it that way.
 
"There's excitement knowing that we will get a great game at the end of the week."
 
The Gryphons have appreciated the fact that the program has grown to be an annual title contender. But it hasn't always been easy. Last week's semi-final win was an indication that the OUA has tremendous depth and talent beyond Guelph and Queen's. The Gryphons trailed early against the Laurier Golden Hawks in the conference semi-final at Varsity Field and needed a furious rally to overcome the tough team from Waterloo. The hosts scored four straight second-half tries, including a match-winner from OUA All-star lock Mac Kea, to advance to their fifth straight championship.
 
Guelph had to absorb pressure and counter, which Hector believes will be a valuable lesson when facing the Gaels on their home pitch.
 
"For the guys to be able to withstand that and stay in the game in the first half, that's what gave us an opportunity to win," the coach said. "That was fantastic prep."
 
"Laurier was physical up front and they put us under pressure in a few areas of the field," said second-year Gryphon fly half John Sheridan. "It was a quality game to have right before the final. It was great to see us claw back to get the victory when we were down a few points. It shows the guys are determined and have the grit to play hard in tough games."
 
Sheridan and his teammates are well aware of the challenge that Queen's presents. The defending OUA champions, who have won the banner five if the past six years, play with speed, power, and precision. That combination of attributes means the Gryphons, who have many of the similar qualities, will need to be disciplined and minimize errors.
 
"The boys all know what is expected of them in training this week," said Sheridan. "We want to stay sharp and finetune our play, be focused and make sure everything is coming together nicely. We know Queen's will be physical, as they showed last time we met. Everyone is getting into that mindset that this will be a tough game. All the guys have been pushing one another so we can be ready for Sunday.
 
"We're going to have to play an aggressive style of rugby. But we also need to play smart. We want to play in the right areas of the field to get the results we want."
 
"Queen's plays a possession game so we know that possession will be at a premium," the coach added.

"We've spent a lot of time on our attack, building our phases, building confidence in our system so we know that we can also play a possession game."
 
Hector said that there won't be any new wrinkles for this veteran side that has four OUA all-stars in Mac Kea, returning scrum half Riley Di Nardo, centre Marcello Wainwright, and fullback Andrew Douglas, in addition to experienced key contributors like Jordan Hofstra, Kolby Francis, and Erich Milne. The past week has been about emphasizing defence and refining what they already do. The objective is to perfect the way they play to give the players the mental confidence when the time comes to execute on the most important day of the season.
 
Hector has a special attachment to this group. Five years ago, some of these players were young athletes on the ground floor of the program's breakthrough. Many first-team players will graduate this year and what better way to end their OUA careers with another banner.
 
"A lot of these guys were at our first OUA final," said Hector. "They have a tremendous amount of experience and they have been passing that on to younger players. It's a very tight-knit group.
 
"It's been really great to see them grow and get to where they are today. Players like Mac Kea, Matt Van Camp, and Kyle Lagasca, who left to pursue the national team and came back to graduate with a lot of his friends.
 
"It will be sad to see some of them go. Hopefully, we can reward them for all of their work over the past five years with a championship."