The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men’s rugby team put in a great effort Saturday afternoon at University Stadium, clashing with their rivals the Guelph Gryphons. However, they ultimately lost a tough game, 40-10.
The battle between the two clubs managed to bring some life to what would have been an ordinarily dreary day, as the Hawks lost a tough one last weekend to the RMC Paladins 25-5. The game against Guelph was an opportunity for Laurier to record some points before their final two games of the season.
Despite the loss, head coach Rob McQueen is pleased with what he saw on the field Saturday.
“I’m pretty happy with the overall performance, the score was really worse than the actual game,” he said.
The gameplay itself certainly wasn’t a reflection of the scoreboard, as it was gritty and intense to watch down to the very last minute. The Hawks never gave up and exhibited sportsmanship throughout the whole game.
Although the Hawks only managed one try from Justin Hoegy, who finished off an impressive run by Brenden Gilbert, there were several promising plays that nearly resulted in points on the board.
McQueen added, “Our offence started to look dangerous today.”
However, there were a few things McQueen acknowledged could have been better.
“Defensively we missed tackles, we tried to tackle big men high and a few too many missed tackles led to trys,” he said.
Gryphons scrum half Byron Boville was able to capitalize on Laurier’s mistakes, as he scored three tries to help Guelph defeat the Hawks.
The Hawks have had to adjust their line-up all season because of injuries, and are still working on their roster, trying to find that perfect chemistry.
“We’ve been juggling personnel all year trying to find that right mix of players, today it looked like we got 13 out of the 15 right,” McQueen said.
McQueen mentioned earlier in the season that he would be taking notice of his team’s ability and leadership until the final game.
The Hawks have two games left to play in the regular season, so McQueen hopes they’ll be able to make the adjustments they need.
“It’s a building process,” he said.
There were many positive signs in the game that the Hawks are coming together, notably the monster run by Gilbert, which really got the crowd fired up.
Laurier currently sits in last place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) conference, one point behind the Waterloo Warriors.
The Hawks travel to McMaster this Friday to play their second last game of the season against the Marauders, before returning home on Oct. 18 for their final game of the season. The game is scheduled for 12 p.m.
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