MONTREAL -- The Concordia Stingers men's rugby team rolled McGill University 38-19 to claim a third consecutive RSEQ championship before 500 fans at Concordia Stadium, Saturday.
Both teams will advance to the third annual Canadian University Championship hosted by Concordia, Nov. 20-24. The Stingers, coached by McGill rugby grad
Craig Beemer, will go into the tournament as the Quebec champion and benefit from a higher position in the seeding. McGill will have the host's spot and be seeded seventh.
The win also gave the Stingers a third straight season with a perfect record. Concordia had a 6-0 win-loss record in the regular season and then won its two playoff games. McGill, which finished second in the league standings with a 5-1 record, will take a 7-2 overall mark into the Nationals.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Stingers picked up momentum and pounded out three unanswered tries before halftime. Veteran
Stephen Martinez opened the scoring in the 23rd minute.
Dylan MacDonald picked up his first try of the game in the 28th minute and
Michael Laplaine-Pereira add one at the 35-minute mark. Rookie
Stan Blazkowski connected for the converts on all three.
MacDonald's second try of the game stretched the lead to 28-0 in the 45th minute. McGill replied with a couple of tries, by junior
Elliot Esposito-Menard, who hails from Spain, and
Pierre Grison, a senior from France, in the 68th minute. Both were converted by freshman
Monty Weatherall, a native from England, cutting the lead to 28-14.
The Stingers responded as Blazkowski came up with a rare drop-kick goal and Laplaine-Pereira delivered his second try of the day to make it 38-14. McGill's
Rob Ryan, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound economics senior from Wilton, Conn., punched in a final try with five minutes left to play.
Laplaine-Pereira was named Concordia's player of the game and
Andreas Dionisopoulos, a science sophomore from Montreal, was the Game MVP for McGill.
McGill will open the national championship tourney against Queen's on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. A victory would earn them a one-day bye into the semifinals. A loss in the opener, however, would result in a consolation round game on Nov. 22. Other qualifying teams include Concordia, Guelph, Brock, UBC, Victoria and an AUS representative – either the UNB Ironmen or the Dalhousie University Rugby Football Club.
RSEQ BOXSCORE
OFFICIAL SCORESHEET
RSEQ RUGBY CHAMPIONS SINCE 1989
YEAR CHAMPIONS
2019 Concordia
2018 Concordia
2017 Concordia
2016 Montréal
2015 McGill
2014 Concordia
2013 McGill
2012 McGill
2011 McGill
2010 McGill
2009 McGill
2008 McGill
2007 McGill
2006 McGill
2005 Concordia
2004 McGill
2003 Bishop's
2002 McGill
2001 Concordia
2000 Concordia
1999 Concordia
1998 Bishop's
1997 McGill
1996 Concordia
1995 McGill
1994 Bishop's
1993 Bishop's
1992 Bishop's
1991 McGill
1990 Bishop's
1989 McGill
