Season Preview: Gee-Gees women’s rugby kickoff on home turf

Last season, the Gee-Gees brought home a U SPORTS National Championship bronze medal. Now, on the hunt for their eighth consecutive U SPORTS medal, the Gee-Gees women's rugby team are jumping right into battle against the Laval Rouge et Or on Sept. 2 at 4:00 p.m.

Ottawa and Laval have had plenty of history, meeting in the last five RSEQ championship games. The Rouge et Or have come out on top in the last two, but the Gee-Gees are looking to set the tone at Matt Anthony Field.

There are three home games on the schedule, including the season opener against Laval. Montreal and McGill will visit Matt Anthony Field and the Gee-Gees will hit the road to take on Carleton, Concordia, and Bishop's. The RSEQ playoffs follow the six-game schedule, getting started on Oct. 14, leading up the Oct. 21 final. The full schedule can be found here.

The Gee-Gees will be without Anna Dodge and Claire Gallagher as they graduate from the program. In 2022, Gallagher was Ottawa's leading scorer and earned U SPORTS All-Canadian honours. She earned her first senior national team cap and first national team try in June as Canada competed in the PA4C Championship. 

Gallagher also went on to lead Canada U23 as captain in defeating the USA in a two-game series in July. Tylo Borsboom and Talia Hennessy joined Gallagher on the U23 national team roster for the "Border Battle" against the USA.

Even after saying goodbye to staple players, a solid list of returners helps set the foundation for the Gee-Gees' upcoming season.

Ketsia Kamba led the team with eight tries in the 2022 regular season and went on to score at each game in the National Championship tournament, earning U SPORTS All-Canadian honours. Aurora Bowie, Julia Latremouille, Rachel Steel, and Ngozi Mosindi come back looking to lead the team to another medalling run while Mercedes Cole is expected to deliver after an impressive RSEQ Rookie of the Year season. 

The players are backed by a new head coach for the 2023 season. Over the summer, the Gee-Gees welcomed back Duncan McNaughton to serve as head coach. McNaughton was Ottawa's contact and forwards coach from 2013-17, helping the team earn a U SPORTS National Championship in 2017, as well as silver and bronze medals in 2016 and 2015.

"I arrive with the knowledge that for the Gee-Gees it is all about winning. The players have proven that time and time again over the last eight seasons," McNaughton said. "We will continue to embrace perennial success and add our new #OneTeam approach in playing fearless rugby."

McNaughton returns to the Gee-Gees squad after gaining significant coaching experience as the Canada Senior Women's National Team assistant coach for the last five years, including coaching at the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand, where the Canadians earned a semi-final berth against fully professional sides from around the world. 

Additional coaching accomplishments include earning silver and bronze National Championship medals with the Queen's Gaels varsity men's rugby team, and a silver medal finish in the Allianz Premiership Championship with the fully professional Exeter Chiefs in the United Kingdom.  

Tickets for all Gee-Gees home games, including the home opener on Sept. 2 against Laval, are available for purchase HERE.