It’s a three-peat! It’s a hat trick! And in classic come-from-behind Concordia style, it was a close game as the men’s rugby team squeaked by McGill 11-10 last Sunday, defending the provincial championship for the third season in a row.
“We didn’t play as well as we might have, it was a nail-biter for sure,” said Stingers’ captain Marty Boutin.
In the end it came down to which team could make the kick when it counted most; Concordia did, McGill did not.
Two kicks determined the game. With six minutes left on the line-judge’s watch, trailing 10-8 for nearly half the game, and having already missed two penalty kicks from 40 yards out, the third time was the charm for Concordia fly-half Mathieu Garston when his 32-yard penalty kick gave the Stingers a one-point lead. “I was relieved when I made it, but it wasn’t over yet,” explained Garston after the game.
Then it was McGill’s turn. As a tense hush settled on the sidelines and the ref audibly pronounced 20 seconds left in the game, a McGill kicker lined up for an under 30-yard penalty kick. Novels could have been written in the moments that the Redman pondered the kick.
All eyes were on the ball as it sailed above the Stingers, who could do nothing but stare defeat in the face. But the ball drifted right of the uprights by a few feet. And as it hit the ground, the three distinct tweets rang out that sent the Stingers jumping for joy.
“I couldn’t watch,” Boutin said. “I closed my eyes, heard the kick, heard my guys cheer, opened my eyes and found out we had won. That was relief.”
Apart from that, the two teams were equals on the field. Underdog McGill came out stronger than expected, out for blood early as they made their 10 points within the opening minutes. McGill’s bigger defence was almost flawless, putting up a thick wall across the whole field that the Stingers’ outside runners found more resistant than they’re used to.
“McGill played an excellent game, we didn’t play an excellent game,” coach Gerry Clayton said. “Some of the younger guys hadn’t been in this kind of situation before.”
“We had our pre-game jitters and anxieties, but in the second half we brought it together,” said hooker Jason Rhee.
Concordia’s defence could hardly be faulted though, equalling McGill and twice pushing them back when the Redmen were within yards of another try. Mark McKnight and Jason Low were quick at getting to the tackle after a scrum and did not allow McGill much peaceful time with the ball.
Concordia even stepped it up when one of their players received a yellow card for tripping a Redman and had to sit out 10 minutes. In fact, it was while shorthanded that runner Alfred Davis found the holes he needed on the outside to charge through and bring the Stingers within two midway through the first half.
The second half was like two very equal rams butting their horns. Both teams came very close more than once, both were pushed back. And in the end, it came down to the kicking.
“We won ’cause we had so much depth on our team, with all the injuries. We used 30 guys this year to win this season,” said Garston.
The Stingers will likely be losing much of those core veteran players who have brought the team to victory over the past three years, including captain Boutin and all-star Garston, but also scrum-half Jason Low, power centres David Goldman and Harry Georgiopoulos, and fly-half Jamal Benouahi.
“It’s been an honour coaching these guys,” assistant coach Tom Smith said after the victory.
“We didn’t play as well as we might have, it was a nail-biter for sure,” said Stingers’ captain Marty Boutin.
In the end it came down to which team could make the kick when it counted most; Concordia did, McGill did not.
Two kicks determined the game. With six minutes left on the line-judge’s watch, trailing 10-8 for nearly half the game, and having already missed two penalty kicks from 40 yards out, the third time was the charm for Concordia fly-half Mathieu Garston when his 32-yard penalty kick gave the Stingers a one-point lead. “I was relieved when I made it, but it wasn’t over yet,” explained Garston after the game.
Then it was McGill’s turn. As a tense hush settled on the sidelines and the ref audibly pronounced 20 seconds left in the game, a McGill kicker lined up for an under 30-yard penalty kick. Novels could have been written in the moments that the Redman pondered the kick.
All eyes were on the ball as it sailed above the Stingers, who could do nothing but stare defeat in the face. But the ball drifted right of the uprights by a few feet. And as it hit the ground, the three distinct tweets rang out that sent the Stingers jumping for joy.
“I couldn’t watch,” Boutin said. “I closed my eyes, heard the kick, heard my guys cheer, opened my eyes and found out we had won. That was relief.”
Apart from that, the two teams were equals on the field. Underdog McGill came out stronger than expected, out for blood early as they made their 10 points within the opening minutes. McGill’s bigger defence was almost flawless, putting up a thick wall across the whole field that the Stingers’ outside runners found more resistant than they’re used to.
“McGill played an excellent game, we didn’t play an excellent game,” coach Gerry Clayton said. “Some of the younger guys hadn’t been in this kind of situation before.”
“We had our pre-game jitters and anxieties, but in the second half we brought it together,” said hooker Jason Rhee.
Concordia’s defence could hardly be faulted though, equalling McGill and twice pushing them back when the Redmen were within yards of another try. Mark McKnight and Jason Low were quick at getting to the tackle after a scrum and did not allow McGill much peaceful time with the ball.
Concordia even stepped it up when one of their players received a yellow card for tripping a Redman and had to sit out 10 minutes. In fact, it was while shorthanded that runner Alfred Davis found the holes he needed on the outside to charge through and bring the Stingers within two midway through the first half.
The second half was like two very equal rams butting their horns. Both teams came very close more than once, both were pushed back. And in the end, it came down to the kicking.
“We won ’cause we had so much depth on our team, with all the injuries. We used 30 guys this year to win this season,” said Garston.
The Stingers will likely be losing much of those core veteran players who have brought the team to victory over the past three years, including captain Boutin and all-star Garston, but also scrum-half Jason Low, power centres David Goldman and Harry Georgiopoulos, and fly-half Jamal Benouahi.
“It’s been an honour coaching these guys,” assistant coach Tom Smith said after the victory.
Comments are closed.