Redmen ruggers give boot to Gaiters, extend win streak to 13
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(PHOTO OF GIDEON BALLOCH BY ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ)
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MONTREAL -- ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ got tries from seven different players en route to a 47-7 rout over visiting Bishop's in men's university rugby at Molson Stadium, Sunday.
It was ±«ÓãÖ±²¥'s 13th straight victory over QURL teams, dating back to Oct. 26, 2008 when Sherbrooke upset the Redmen 25-17 on the final day of the regular season to snap a 19-game win streak in league play.
"I'm quite happy with the way we played today," said recently-appointed Redmen head coach Craig Beemer.Ìý "Bishops played tough and did a really good job of pressuring us defensively on first and second phase. It wasn't until we began to move the ball that we started having some success. The game then sped up and we were able to offload the ball and make quick work of the rucks. I was really impressed with our teams unselfishness and overall skill, it allowed us to do some things that otherwise would not have been possible."
The Redmen led 21-0 at halftime on tries by Maxwell Gregory of Vancouver, B.C., Lawrence Di Pilato of Montreal and U.K. import Liam Brown, respectively. Each scoring play was converted by Brenden O'Sullivan, a junior from Toronto.
The Gaiters displayed some life in the second half with a try from Matt Alexander, converted by David Murphy to make the score 21-7.
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ then tallied four unanswered tries, three of them converted by O'Sullivan, who finished the day with a game-high 12 points.
A converted try by junior Gideon Balloch of Ottawa made the score 28-7 and snuffed out any hopes for a Gaiters comeback. Rounding out the rout were tries by Josh Reznick of Toronto, Sam Skulsky of Calgary and Roderick McKenzie of Vancouver.
"Everyone played well but our second rows Gregory and Mackenzie were standouts today," added Beemer. "Big runs, big hits and even playing scrum half during open play allowing us to exploit overlaps. Great job by them."
The Redmen (3-0) earned their second bonus point of the season and now sit atop the QURL standings with eight points, to more than second-place Concordia (2-1). Extra points are awrded this season to teams that score at least four tries in a game or allow seven points or less.
Bishop's will (1-2) will host Concordia (2-1) on Oct. 1, while ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ will host winless Sherbrooke (0-3) at Molson Stadium on Oct. 3.
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SCORING SUMMARY
(NOTE: order is correct but times are unavailable)
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FIRST HALF:
1. McGILL: Maxwell Gregory (try; convert by Brendan O'Sullivan), McG: 7-0
2. McGILL: Lance Di Pilato (try; convert by Brendan O'Sullivan), McG: 14-0
3. McGILL: Liam Brown (try; convert by Brendan O'Sullivan), McG: 21-0
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SECOND HALF:
4. BISHOP'S: Matt Alexander (try; convert by David Murphy), McG: 21-7
5. McGILL: Gideon Balloch (try; convert by Brendan O'Sullivan), McG: 28-7
6. McGILL: Joshua Reznick (try; convert missed by O'Sullivan), McG: 33-7
7. McGILL: Sam Skulsky (try; convert by Brendan O'Sullivan), McG: 40-7
8. McGILL: Roderick MacKenzie (try; convert by Brendan O'Sullivan), McG: 47-7
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Athletics & Recreation
514-398-7012