KINGSTON, Ont. – In a familiar matchup between two perennial powers in OUA women's rugby, it was the hosts from Kingston taking home provincial bragging rights in the latest chapter of a storied rivalry. Meeting up for a sixth consecutive season in the OUA women's rugby championship game, the No. 2-nationally ranked Queen's Gaels (8-0) defeated the No. 5-nationally ranked Guelph Gryphons (6-2) 33-19 on Friday night (Oct. 27) at Nixon Field in Kingston.
For the Queen's Gaels, Friday night's victory secured their second consecutive OUA banner, and the third in their program's history (2013, 2019 & 2023). The two programs have now evenly split each of the six head-to-head meetings in the OUA gold medal final over the past six seasons, with each team now having claimed the OUA banner three times apiece during that stretch. The Gryphons still hold the OUA-record for most conference titles in program history, with 17 OUA women's rugby championships to their name.
After a tightly contested opening half, which saw Queen's take a 12-5 lead to the break, the No. 2-ranked Gaels would add to their lead early in the second half, with the Queen's scoring 23-unanswered points to extend their lead to 33-5. The Gryphons would fight until the end, with both
Alexis Buzby (Bernardsville, NJ) and
Taylor McKnight (Stouffville, Ont.) scoring tries for Guelph in the final 10 minutes of the game, while Tousani Levale (Abbotsford, B.C.) connected on the convert both times, to cut Queen's lead to 33-19. But it was as close as the Gryphons would get, with Queen's repeating as OUA champions thanks to a 33-19 victory.
Both Queen's and Guelph will now turn their attention to the national stage, with both teams set to represent the OUA at the 2023 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championships in Quebec City (Nov. 1-to-5). The seeding for the women's rugby national championship tournament will be announced on Sunday evening (Oct. 29), with national quarterfinal action set to get underway in Quebec on Wednesday, November 1. The Gryphons will head to Quebec in search of the third national title in program history, with the previous two University of Guelph women's rugby national titles coming in 2011 and 1998, respectively.
