RECAP: Roy clutch and composed as men’s rugby home opener goes down to the wire

The Gee-Gees men's rugby team started their 2024 season with an opportunity to set the tone against the ETS Piranhas. The 2023 RSEQ Championship rematch kicked off at 6 p.m. on Saturday night, welcoming a cold September sunset and plenty of noise from the crowd.

In 2023, the Gee-Gees earned the conference title with a 18-17 win over the Piranhas. This time, another competitive battle was had and the Gee-Gees proved that they're the defending champions for a reason.

"All credit to the boys, they battled tonight and it was exhilarating to watch," said Gee-Gees head coach, James Flemming, after the 18-16 victory.

ETS was first on the board, opting for a penalty kick seven minutes into play. The three-point lead was quickly evened out as Glenn Roy stepped up for a penalty kick of his own.

Connor Billo was next on the stat sheet. Ottawa captain Jamie Armstrong ran through the redzone, dishing the ball to Billo for the score to take an 8-3 lead.

In the final moments of half, Roy touched down in the endzone for another Ottawa try. He kicked the convert through, collecting seven points to extend the Gee-Gees lead to 15-6.

The scoring quieted down in the beginning of the second half. ETS kicked through a penalty (67') for three points to cut the Gee-Gees lead down to six.

With time running out, the Piranhas battled through a wall of Gee-Gees on the goal line, finally breaking through for a try (76'). A clean convert from ETS gave them the 16-15 advantage heading into extra minutes.

The Gee-Gees had another chance to score, and it was Roy who stepped up for the kick. Composed, Roy sent the ball between the posts to regain the lead for Ottawa.

"We're going to back Glenn every single time," Flemming said. "He's a lights out player."

Tensions were high as the teams continued to battle, anxious for the final whistle to signal the end of play. The Gee-Gees defence held strong, earning them an exciting 18-16 win to start the season.

The Gee-Gees hit the road to take on the Stingers on Sep. 15.