Men's rugby captures OUA bronze
Joe Scaringi
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Sports
Sometimes things don't always work out the way you planned. For Brock's men's rugby team, while they weren't playing for OUA gold, their final game of the season meant that they could still come away from 2009 with a medal in tow. The Badgers were able to do just that, earning a 21-17 victory over McMaster on Nov. 14 at Fletcher's Field in Markham.
"We were over the fact that we weren't in the championship," said Brock captain Tom Clancy of the bronze medal game. "It's difficult 'cause there is always probably some regret in the back of your mind, […] but we did all that we could [in the] game and we came out on top."
Badger Matthew Alexander opened the scoring with a 60-yard run for a try, with junior Rory McDonell earning the convert.
A few minutes before the end of the first half, the ball was passed out of the ruck a few times before being picked off by a Marauder who ran it down field for a try. McMaster would complete the convert, making the score 7-7 at halftime.
"When they scored their try it was very disappointing, disheartening I guess, seeing one of our balls picked off [as they] took it from one end to the other and scored right before half," said Clancy of Mac's game-tying try.
In the second half, Badger Ryan MacSween intercepted a pass and ran it down for a try, with McDonell again hitting the convert. Shortly after, McDonell threw a pass to MacSween who was able to squeeze through a tight gap and run down for his second try of the game and, with McDonell's convert, Brock enjoyed a 21-7 lead.
"It was kind of stalemated for a lot of the game in the second half, breaking back-and-forth, but when Ryan [MacSween] broke through on that try, […] that uplifted us," said Clancy. "[It was a] big turning point."
McMaster would score two trys late in the game, however missed both converts, giving Brock the bronze medal with a 21-17 victory.
For Clancy, the win was bittersweet, as he was hoping to end his five-year Brock rugby career with another gold medal, but he wouldn't trade the season for anything.
"This is by far, of my five years on the team, the closest that we've ever been as a group," he said.
At the end of the day, winning an OUA medal is nothing to scoff at, and the men's rugby team is glad to have earned themselves the bronze.
"We were over the fact that we weren't in the championship," said Brock captain Tom Clancy of the bronze medal game. "It's difficult 'cause there is always probably some regret in the back of your mind, […] but we did all that we could [in the] game and we came out on top."
Badger Matthew Alexander opened the scoring with a 60-yard run for a try, with junior Rory McDonell earning the convert.
A few minutes before the end of the first half, the ball was passed out of the ruck a few times before being picked off by a Marauder who ran it down field for a try. McMaster would complete the convert, making the score 7-7 at halftime.
"When they scored their try it was very disappointing, disheartening I guess, seeing one of our balls picked off [as they] took it from one end to the other and scored right before half," said Clancy of Mac's game-tying try.
In the second half, Badger Ryan MacSween intercepted a pass and ran it down for a try, with McDonell again hitting the convert. Shortly after, McDonell threw a pass to MacSween who was able to squeeze through a tight gap and run down for his second try of the game and, with McDonell's convert, Brock enjoyed a 21-7 lead.
"It was kind of stalemated for a lot of the game in the second half, breaking back-and-forth, but when Ryan [MacSween] broke through on that try, […] that uplifted us," said Clancy. "[It was a] big turning point."
McMaster would score two trys late in the game, however missed both converts, giving Brock the bronze medal with a 21-17 victory.
For Clancy, the win was bittersweet, as he was hoping to end his five-year Brock rugby career with another gold medal, but he wouldn't trade the season for anything.
"This is by far, of my five years on the team, the closest that we've ever been as a group," he said.
At the end of the day, winning an OUA medal is nothing to scoff at, and the men's rugby team is glad to have earned themselves the bronze.
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