PREVIEW: Two crucial matchups on deck for men’s rugby
The Gee-Gees men's rugby team control their own destiny at the midway point of the regular season, and the playoffs are within grasp.
Ottawa holds a 2-1 record thanks to convincing home victories over Sherbrooke and Montreal. With the lone blemish on their record being a road loss to Concordia, the Gee-Gees are part of a logjam atop of the RSEQ standings.
The Gee-Gees, Concordia, Bishop's and McGill all sit level on 10 points, with Ottawa and McGill having played an additional game. École de technologie supérieure sits in fifth place with just four points. The top four teams make the playoffs.
Their playoff fate is very much in the Gee-Gees hands however, as they face Bishop's (Friday, Oct. 1) and McGill (Saturday, Oct. 9) in the next two weeks. Both matchups see Ottawa travel to face their opposition.
Bishop's shocked the conference by handing Concordia their first loss since 2016 last week. A raucous Gaiters Homecoming crowd made life miserable for the Stingers, but the Gee-Gees are no strangers to that hostile environment.
"We got one over them in 2019, we beat them at Coulter Field on their Homecoming weekend," said coach Andrew Armstrong. "They absolutely took it to Concordia, who are the current kings. We've got a short week, but a lot of stuff to work on, so we're looking forward to it."
Jamie Armstrong is tied with the Gaiters Kyle Corrigan for the RSEQ lead with 28 points (two tries, nine drops). Duncan Hladik and Elias Hancock both have four tries, good for joint-second in the conference. Ottawa has also seen some offence provided by rookies as first years Glenn Roy and Simba Gumbo have two tries apiece.
"Bishop's just beat Concordia, who have been the top dog for quite some time now," said the junior Armstrong. "We got the win [against Montreal], but we'll need to clean things up for next week."
The Gee-Gees have yet to beat McGill in RSEQ action. The Redbirds ended Ottawa's 2019 season in the semi-finals, the first playoff appearance in the program's history. Monty Weatherall, the reigning conference Rookie of the Year, is the dangerous player for McGill, currently sitting fourth with 22 points.
Ottawa wraps up the regular season with a home match against ETS, before enjoying a well-deserved bye week before the playoffs get going Saturday, Oct. 30.
The far-too-early projection sees the Garnet and Grey needing over 16 points to secure a playoff spot, but that number could drop depending on other results.
Streaming information:
Tickets for all Gee-Gees home games are available for purchase at tickets.geegees.ca.