GUELPH - The 2017 OUA men's rugby season is officially underway. And while the defending champion Guelph Gryphons may have a new look after graduating several key players from last year's championship squad, they produced a familiar result in their season opener. Sunday afternoon at Varsity Field, the Gryphons recorded a convincing 36-0 home victory over the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Paladins in a match that served as the regular season opener for both schools.
"We were happy with the boys commitment to the game plan today," said Gryphons second year head coach, and reigning OUA Coach of the Year,
Cory Hector.
"We had solid structure all match long, but also identified some key areas to work on. Overall thought, we're happy to come away with a win to start things off."
Fifth year lock
Blake Aram led the Gryphons in scoring with a pair of tries and also made his impact felt with several big tackles and line breaks. Fourth year wing
Jordan Hofstra continued the fine form he showed in 2016 by starting his 2017 campaign by producing several big runs. While Aram and Hofstra were among the returning veterans to impress, the standout rookie on the day was first year fly half
John Sheridan who had a strong Gryphon debut. Sheridan, an Economics student from Bolton, Ontario, was excellent on both attack and defence, and also showed off the leg by connecting on a trio of conversions to finish with six points on the day. Rounding out the scoring for the Gryphons on Sunday afternoon were
Julian Crowe,
Erich Milne and
MacLain Wakefield.
Scoring Summary
| Minute |
University |
Type of Score |
Player |
Convert |
Match Score |
| 6' |
Guelph |
Try |
Julian Crowe |
Good (John Sheridan) |
7-0 Guelph |
| 27' |
Guelph |
Try |
Erich Milne |
Good (John Sheridan) |
14-0 Guelph |
| 42' |
Guelph |
Try |
Blake Aram |
Missed |
19-0 Guelph |
| 61' |
Guelph |
Try |
MacLain Wakefield |
Missed |
24-0 Guelph |
| 77' |
Guelph |
Try |
Jordan Hofstra |
Missed |
29-0 Guelph |
| 80 |
Guelph |
Try |
Blake Aram |
Good (John Sheridan) |
36-0 Guelph |
The Gryphons (1-0), who will play a total of eight matches during the OUA regular season, will hit the road for each of their next two matchups, beginning Friday night (Sept. 8) in Waterloo against the Warriors. The Warriors are 0-1 after losing on the road at Brock in their season opener on Sunday. Friday night's matchup between the Gryphons and Warriors is set for 6pm at Columbia Icefield - Field 1.
