Banner Season: Fifth straight title on the line for Gryphons in gold medal bout with Gaels

Burlington, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons (6-0, 1st in OUA) come in as four-time defending champions, but their Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Men’s Rugby Championship counterparts – the Queen’s Gaels (4-2, 3rd in OUA) – have been chomping at the bit for the last couple of seasons as well.

The 2025 finale in Guelph marks the third straight meeting in the conference finale for the two teams, but it’s the host side who has earned the edge of late.

With four consecutive Turner Trophy wins to their name, the undefeated Gryphons, who scored a league-best 374 points for compared to just 47 against during the regular season, will enter the finale confident and filled with experience. But if they want to extend their streak, they’ll need to be ready from the jump to counteract the quick Queen’s starts – something Guelph saw in both last year’s finale and in their Week 5 matchup just a few weeks back.

Much like in that banner season bout a year ago, the Gaels got out of the gates in full force in their most recent matchup to build a 14-0 cushion. Guelph was able to overcome the early deficit, however, as 35 unanswered points from the host side swung the momentum in their favour and ultimately helped them secure the 42-24 victory.

Guelph’s Charles Trollip was the lone Gryphon to register multiple tries in that Thanksgiving weekend win over Queen’s, while Tomas Dallan was perfect on his conversions, going seven-for-seven on the night.

Dallan, a senior from Buenos Aires, Argentina, would add another 15 conversions on the year, with his 22 overall ranking second in the OUA. His impressive contributions off the tee would continue into his team’s lone playoff game to date as well, as he connected on eight conversions in a 66-5 semifinal victory over Western.

Also stepping up with a big semifinal showing was fellow senior Kobe Faust. The fifth-year fly half and team captain helped his side build up a daunting lead with a trio of tries in that contest and will be called upon for his leadership both on and off the pitch in Guelph’s quest for a fifth straight banner.

That current Guelph streak snapped what was a stretch of seven banners in the previous eight years for the Gaels, and they’ll look to hoist their first Turner Trophy since that 2019 victory.

At the heart of their championship aspirations is the league’s player of the year Marcus D’Acre. The fourth-year fly half from Mississauga, Ont., finished second in the OUA in scoring on the year with his 57 points, a big reason his Gaels were able to rank third as a unit with 259 points on the year. He connected on 21 conversions – good for third in the conference – to go along with three tries, and he continued his impressive offensive pace in the team’s postseason run thus far.

D’Acre kicked off his quest for the cup run with 13 conversions in Queen’s convincing 106-0 quarterfinal against McMaster, before helping guide the Gaels past the second-seeded Golden Hawks 29-22 in the semifinal with a 14-point outing (one try, three conversions, and one penalty goal).

A fellow key contributor for the Gaels this season was another of their five all-stars, Cameron Bubyn. He recorded five tries for the Tricolour during the year and his 25 points ranked him in the top-15 in the conference. After starting off the season with a try in the Gaels opener, he also bookended his campaign with a pair of scores against Toronto.

With a combined 12 all-stars on the pitch, the quality of play on the University of Guelph’s Varsity Field is sure to be top-notch, but with these two programs combining to win every OUA men’s rugby title since the 2011 season, the victor is anything but certain.

Each side enters with championship experience and a drive to add to their lofty program totals to date, and whether looking to extend a streak or start a new one, both teams will turn to their veteran banner season performers to help them reach that ultimate goal of holding the Turner Trophy high come Thursday night.