November 3, 2005
MUSTANGS LOOK FOR CHAMPIONSHIP REPEAT AT FLETCHER'S FIELDS
Anytime the McMaster Marauders and Western Mustangs men’s rugby sides get a rare taste of defeat in recent years, it has always been at the hands of one another. One of these two Ontario University Athletics giants is on the verge of holding the bragging rights, and the Turner Trophy, as the defending champion Mustangs and undefeated Marauders meet in the OUA gold medal match at Fletcher’s Field in Markham, ON, Saturday, November 5 at 2:15 pm. The championship will be broadcast on Rogers on tape delay at 8:00 pm in the York, Grand River and GTA regions.
The match is the fourth consecutive OUA final that the two sides have played in, with Western taking the 2004 championship 12-10, snapping a run of back-to-back titles for the elite McMaster program. The familiarity amongst these two teams has bred both a great sense of competition and respect. They are always special matches, particularly for the older players.
“It’s a huge rivalry,” says third-year Western centre Sam Jenkins. “For myself and a lot of the veterans, when we came in, McMaster was just coming into prominence. They’re graduating players just like we are. It makes it intense.
“For some of the players, it’s our last shot at each other.”
The two have certainly traded blows in what has become a memorable collection of classic results. The 2005 season has been a reversal of roles in the intriguing rivalry, with McMaster going undefeated (7-0 in the regular season), including an inspirational 25-20 victory in London on September 21. That result marked the only loss of the year for Western (6-1). Last season, the Mustangs were the ones that upended McMaster in regular season play, 25-20 on September 22, 2004, before preventing McMaster from completing the three-peat with a second straight victory in the championship.
With so many of the players having seen each other before at the high school, provincial and national levels, it’s a match-up they all relish. And the stage of the OUA final, especially at Fletcher’s Fields, magnifies the importance.
“That’s what fuels this rivalry,” says Western coach Scott Stewart. “The players are wearing different shirts but there isn’t one of them who doesn’t want to play his best against his colleagues.”
“Our games have been characterized by good, solid rugby,” adds McMaster coach Phil White, acknowledging the high level of competition amongst the two schools.
Each team had decisive semifinal wins on October 30 with McMaster defeating the Brock Badgers 54-7 and Western beating the Queen’s Golden Gaels 34-0. The Marauders boast an explosive lineup led by fourth-year fly half Spencer Fullerton, the CIS scoring leader with 81 points, four ahead of Western’s Jenkins. McMaster racked up an OUA-best 376 points through the seven regular season victories, while conceding a league-low 31. Though Aaron Carpenter is away with the senior national team, White will have the brother duo of Dan and Mike Pletch both available for the final. Dan, a prop, had missed the 2004 championship while traveling with the national side.
The Mustangs feature a deep lineup, with strength all across the pitch. Jenkins and fullback Chris Hoban have been catalysts for Western, while 8 man Sean Michael Stephen is just one of many creative players the Marauders will have to key on throughout the match as the Mustangs attempt to spread their attack wide.
“We have to respect them across the board,” says White. “They have great players at many positions. You can’t think of stopping one or two players – you have to stop 15.”
The venue for the match is a first for the OUA championship. The OUA has partnered with Ruby Canada and Rugby Ontario to hold the gold medal match at historic Fletcher’s Fields, the site of many international duels. While McMaster would have had the opportunity to host the championship by virtue of their first-place finish, both teams are excited to play on a field with such history.
“It’s a special day for this final that all of those kids will remember, especially the ones graduating,” says Stewart.
The bronze medal match between Queen’s and Brock begins at 12:00 noon Saturday.
- O U A -
Enquires can be addressed to:
David DiCenzo
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics
Phone: 905-540-5156
Fax: 905-540-5149
Email: david.dicenzo@oua.ca
Web: www.oua.ca
The match is the fourth consecutive OUA final that the two sides have played in, with Western taking the 2004 championship 12-10, snapping a run of back-to-back titles for the elite McMaster program. The familiarity amongst these two teams has bred both a great sense of competition and respect. They are always special matches, particularly for the older players.
“It’s a huge rivalry,” says third-year Western centre Sam Jenkins. “For myself and a lot of the veterans, when we came in, McMaster was just coming into prominence. They’re graduating players just like we are. It makes it intense.
“For some of the players, it’s our last shot at each other.”
The two have certainly traded blows in what has become a memorable collection of classic results. The 2005 season has been a reversal of roles in the intriguing rivalry, with McMaster going undefeated (7-0 in the regular season), including an inspirational 25-20 victory in London on September 21. That result marked the only loss of the year for Western (6-1). Last season, the Mustangs were the ones that upended McMaster in regular season play, 25-20 on September 22, 2004, before preventing McMaster from completing the three-peat with a second straight victory in the championship.
With so many of the players having seen each other before at the high school, provincial and national levels, it’s a match-up they all relish. And the stage of the OUA final, especially at Fletcher’s Fields, magnifies the importance.
“That’s what fuels this rivalry,” says Western coach Scott Stewart. “The players are wearing different shirts but there isn’t one of them who doesn’t want to play his best against his colleagues.”
“Our games have been characterized by good, solid rugby,” adds McMaster coach Phil White, acknowledging the high level of competition amongst the two schools.
Each team had decisive semifinal wins on October 30 with McMaster defeating the Brock Badgers 54-7 and Western beating the Queen’s Golden Gaels 34-0. The Marauders boast an explosive lineup led by fourth-year fly half Spencer Fullerton, the CIS scoring leader with 81 points, four ahead of Western’s Jenkins. McMaster racked up an OUA-best 376 points through the seven regular season victories, while conceding a league-low 31. Though Aaron Carpenter is away with the senior national team, White will have the brother duo of Dan and Mike Pletch both available for the final. Dan, a prop, had missed the 2004 championship while traveling with the national side.
The Mustangs feature a deep lineup, with strength all across the pitch. Jenkins and fullback Chris Hoban have been catalysts for Western, while 8 man Sean Michael Stephen is just one of many creative players the Marauders will have to key on throughout the match as the Mustangs attempt to spread their attack wide.
“We have to respect them across the board,” says White. “They have great players at many positions. You can’t think of stopping one or two players – you have to stop 15.”
The venue for the match is a first for the OUA championship. The OUA has partnered with Ruby Canada and Rugby Ontario to hold the gold medal match at historic Fletcher’s Fields, the site of many international duels. While McMaster would have had the opportunity to host the championship by virtue of their first-place finish, both teams are excited to play on a field with such history.
“It’s a special day for this final that all of those kids will remember, especially the ones graduating,” says Stewart.
The bronze medal match between Queen’s and Brock begins at 12:00 noon Saturday.
- O U A -
Enquires can be addressed to:
David DiCenzo
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
Ontario University Athletics
Phone: 905-540-5156
Fax: 905-540-5149
Email: david.dicenzo@oua.ca
Web: www.oua.ca
