ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Dear McGill University Rugby Football Club Alumni,
In our Fall 2010 season, your former McGill Rugby Football Club continued to build on the successes of recent years, in some ways truly outdoing itself. After last year’s graduation, academic and otherwise, of some of the most talented players ever to represent the Redmen, adversity and challenge were embraced by a younger, smaller, yet more dispersedly talented new-look side – to great effect.
After a typically gruelling 2 week training camp, the team set out toward Kingston to face perennial rivals Dartmouth College 1s and 2s, and for the first time, defending OUA champion Queen’s University Varsity 1s and Club teams. In a close first contest where all varsity players were given game time, McGill Varsity fell by a conversion kick to Dartmouth College, 7-5. The always physical Dartmouth players did well to prepare your Redmen for what could have been at once their best defensive effort all season. On a cold Sunday afternoon, McGill absorbed wave after wave of Golden Gael offensive onslaught, eventually losing to the better team, 29-0. No one, however, would on the day have called the game one-sided; Queen’s points came from clinical finishing of some well-worked opportunities, while the chances that McGill did create came to naught from a lack of killer instinct.
The OUA v. QSSF title match demonstrated the gap in playing standards between these leagues; our goal in years to come is to continue to approach and one day match our rivals to the West. For now, we turned our focus to Quebec.
We began our QSSF campaign well with a dominant 34-3 win over the untalented yet courageous Sherbrooke Abekanis. Next, we faced the always challenging Concordia Stingers away, and while starting off on the back-foot, ending up slicing through their backline for several late 2nd half tries to ensure an 18-6 victory. Unearthing some offensive momentum, your Redmen achieved team fluency over the next two games that allowed two wins by over 40 points. Whatever the case, after a 47-7 victory over a considerably larger Bishops team, and a 44-0 blanking of the Vert et Or de Sherbrooke, confidence was at an all-time before our final season home game against Concordia.
Our over-confidence before the regular-season closer against Concordia turned out to be ill-advised. In a game where our intensity nor desire matched that of our Maroon and Gold opponents, your Redmen suffered their first QSSF loss in several years in a 17-10 decision. The October 24th home game was a clear moment of setback and adversity, and set the stage for what would be a dramatic playoff run. Determined to bounce back, your Redmen put together a virtuoso performance against the always physical Sherbrooke Vert et Or, finishing on the triumphant end of a 69-10 score. Despite our elation, all thoughts turned to our legacy of 4 proud championship seasons, after Concordia defeated Bishops in the 2nd and 3rd seed Semi-final.
The stage was set for our final game, to be played Sunday night under the lights of Molson stadium. #1 seasonally ranked McGill vs. #2 Concordia, both teams eager to showcase their grit, tenacity, and talent. Both sides absorbed each other’s offensive forays for a large portion of the first half before the game began opening up. Thanks to a penalty goal and two well-worked team tries finished off and converted by Gideon Balloch, your Redmen had a 17-3 halftime lead. In the second half, to the chagrin of the home crowd, a quick try by the Concordian scrumhalf narrowed the lead to 17-10. With minutes to go, however, the victory was sealed with another excellent team try finished off by game MVP Gideon Balloch, and our song of old was chanted to an applauding crowd of over 500. Congratulations go to this year’s QSSF All-Stars Liam Brown, Maxwell Gregory, Sam Skulsky, Jon Lee, Keelan Chapman and Roderick MacKenzie.
In somewhat of an anticlimax, this year McGill was not offered the chance to defend their 2009 Eastern Championship Title. Won against the fiercely competitive Dalhousie Tigers. This occurred due to a surprise loss for the Tigers against the University of New Brunswick, who had not budgeted any money for a trip to Montreal, and a lack of will on Dalhousie’s part to make the trip otherwise. In light of the efforts to make this friendly official, we are hopeful that McGill will successfully challenge for what could be an official cup someday!
Winter and Spring
Thanks in large part to your generous contributions, this year McGill RFC will take advantage of more full-time staff members, maintaining strength and conditioning with fitness coach Andrew Plimer and regulating diet with nutritionist and head physiotherapist Tiffany Moey. Indoor sevens and off-season conditioning work are just two prongs to an ever-evolving year round competitor framework that we are moving toward as a club. It also serves to prepare us for our springtime Covo Cup classic against the Harvard Rugby Team. Having won 34-17 last year, it is our goal to once again leave Cambridge with a victory in 2011, in what would be the third in as many years.
Some Points of Interest
Equal in importance to our on-field exploits was McGill Rugby’s hosting of its third annual Alumni Weekend. We hosted another successful seven’s tournament this year, the victor’s a hybrid alumni/current players squad with the likes of Bryce Thomassin, Evan Straight and Kyle Buckley showing McGill’s rookies what the goose-step is all about.
New to Canada’s rugby scene this year is Rugby Day In Canada Magazine, our first unofficial coast-to-coast rugby magazine, produced by photographer/editor Jose Lagman. In recognition of our efforts this year and over the past decade, McGill Rugby received a 4-page spread in its third issue! Google ‘Rugby Day In Canada Issue Three,’ or follow the team links section at the bottom to check it out.
A massive congratulations goes out to Montreal born and bred Jon “Too-Tall” Phelan, who could not attend alumni weekend this year because he was training with Team Canada for its November International Tour, where he received his first Canada cap against Belgium this November 6th. Jon’s meteoric rise from club rugby at St. Anne de Bellevue to varsity rugby at McGill to semi pro with the CRC (Canadian Rugby Championship) Atlantic Rock cemented his selection for Team Canada, a place earned deservedly. Way to go Too Tall!
Fundraising Goals for 2011
As an up and coming rugby club with sights set on continual improvement, it has been our goal for some time to acquire a scrum machine. While strong in loose play and the lineout, this year our forwards struggled against bigger, tougher scrum opposition. We are thus starting a scrum machine fund of $6,000 to 10,000. If this is something you would like to see happen for McGill Rugby, simply specify on your donation that you want to support the fund, and your money will be allocated appropriately.
New this year was an appeal for donations directed to specific priorities: match balls, rucking pads, and the like. This initiative was met with great recognition, one friend of McGill Rugby donating 8 rucking shields and 8 match balls! In an unfortunate turn of events, however, these 8 match balls got destroyed in the mail by UPS, and as such, this year we are hoping for direct sponsorship for 8 high-quality Gilbert match balls (approx. $500), and 15 Gilbert practice balls ($500).
What made this season special
Apart from the club’s naming as Quebec University Rugby Champion’s for the 5th year running, there were several reasons which made this season more special than those past. Our numbers exploded, for the first time having over 30 rookies and a consistent club turnout of 3 sides. If this trend continues, it is not unlikely that McGill RFC might comprise 4 teams in the coming years. Were this to happen, plans have been discussed for having a youth U21 team competing against top Montreal CEGEP teams, allowing firsts, seconds and thirds maximum game time against all university sides. 2009’s Varsity lineup, perhaps McGill’s most talented ever, comprised essentially only provincial and Canadian-calibre players. The departure of many of these made way for up and coming talents their immediate juniors and younger. The ease with which these positions were filled speaks well of McGill Rugby’s ever-increasing player depth; the difficulty coaches had in selecting a consistent starting XV from preseason to Quebec Finals cemented it.
This past year, alumni contributions funded three coaches, our pre-season tour, transportation for Seconds and Club, and the modernization of our jerseys and club kit. In the spring, donations will help pay for our trip down to Cambridge, and a possible trip out west for Canada’s first University 7s Invitational! Into 2011, with our effort and dedication on the field, and your financial support off the field, we can continue to be one of the best university rugby clubs in Canada.
On behalf of our coaches, staff and players, I would like to extend our sincere thanks for your continuing financial support and encourage you to consider getting involved with the Alumni Council. Happy New Year from all of us at McGill Rugby!
Brendan O’Sullivan, VP Alumni, McGill RFC - brendan.osullivan@mail.mcgill.ca
• McGill Rugby Alumni Facebook Group: Simply facebook search ‘McGill Rugby Alumni’ to join.
• McGill RFC Alumni Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/mcgill-rugby-alumni-forum *
• Rugby Day In Canada Issue 3 (See pgs. 20-23!): http://rugbydayincanada.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/rugbydayincanada_issueno1_may2010.pdf
Twice every year, the McGill Rugby Football Club mails and emails a club newsletter to its alumni to keep alumni updated about the club.
We encourage all alumni to join a mailing or email list! To do so, please contact our President, or join the Alumni Forum!
Any suggestions? Please contact any of our executive!
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