GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons women's and men's rugby programs have been well-represented at the senior national level this summer, with a total of four Gryphon rugby standouts representing Team Canada this July. From the Gryphons women's rugby program, current University of Guelph student-athlete,
Taylor McKnight, joined a pair of fellow Gryphon alumni in Julia Schell and Brittany Kassil, as Canada's Women's Rugby Team completed a South African tour with back-to-back victories over South Africa on July 5 and July 12 . On the men's side, current University of Guelph men's rugby standout,
Brenden Black, made his senior national team debut in Edmonton on July 12 in an international friendly versus Belgium. Both
Taylor McKnight and
Brenden Black are set to return to the Guelph Gryphons rugby programs for the upcoming 2025 OUA season. See below for more details on the latest Gryphons to represent Canada at the highest level on the international stage.
Taylor McKnight
Taylor McKnight is a bio-medical science major at the University of Guelph who hails from Stoufville, Ontario. McKnight has been named a U SPORTS All-Canadian in each of her first four seasons as a Gryphon while helping lead the Gryphons to a pair of OUA titles in 2021 and 2024. The 22-year-old won her first cap with Canada on July 12, coming on in the first half to support in the front row in
Canada's 33-5 victory over South Africa at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, South Africa.
Brenden Black
Brenden Black, an economics major at the University of Guelph and a standout with the Gryphons men's rugby program, won his first cap with Team Canada's men's 15's squad in their July 12 friendly versus Belgium. Black, a 21-year-old from Oakville, Ontario, played the entire match versus Belgium, with
Canada falling just short, 25-18, in a tightly-contested matchup at Clarke Stadium in Edmonton. The international friendly was part of Canada's 'Summer Tests' tour in Edmonton, with the senior men's team also set to square off against Spain on July 18. Black is the first Gryphons men's rugby player to play for Canada since Eric Howard finished his national career at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. As a Gryphon,
Brenden Black has put together a phenomenal first three seasons, helping the Gryphons claim OUA titles in each of his first three seasons at U of G while earning OUA All-Star honours each of the past two seasons.
Julia Schell
Julia Schell studied sociology while attending the University of Guelph from 2015-2020 and was a three-time OUA champion and four-time U SPORTS All-Canadian during her sensational career with the Gryphons women's rugby program. The 28-year-old from Uxbridge, Ontario accounted for 10 points after making five conversions in
Canada's 50-20 victory over South Africa on July 5 at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa. Schell also added two more conversions in Canada's 33-5 win over South Africa on July 12.
Brittany Kassil
Brittany Kassil attended the University of Guelph from 2011-12 to 2015-16 while studying adult development. The 34-year-old from Guelph, Ontario has been a fixture at the senior national level, and scored Canada's opening try of the match in the 5th minute in Canada's 33-5 victory over South Africa on July 12. Kassil, Schell and McKnight join a long line of Canadian players from the Gryphons women's rugby program including University of Guelph Hall of Famers Jacey Grusnick (Murphy), Colette McAuley, and Maria Gallo, Jane Addeo (Kirby) and Olympic medalist Brittany Benn. As a Gryphon, Kassil was a three-time OUA Shiels Division All-Star, two-time OUA champion and was a first-year player on the 2011 team that captured the second national title in program history.
