WATERLOO, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons men's rugby team wanted to end their 2018 regular season on a high. Guelph wrapped up the campaign by producing one of its best performances of the year, defeating the Laurier Golden Hawks 41-10 to secure a bye in the OUA playoffs.
 
Erich Milne led the way with three tries for the Gryphons, who will host a conference semi-final with the opponent to be determined. MacKenzie Kea added two tries, while Marcello Wainwright and Kolby Francis also touched down.
 
Both teams tried to find their footing in the first 20 minutes and it was Guelph that broke though with Milne's first try of the afternoon. Laurier had a quick response to tie the match 5-5 but the Gryphons continued building phases and pressure, which slowly opened the game up.
 
They capped the half off with Francis's try to enter the break with a 22-5 lead. Guelph continued to hold the Golden Hawks and extended the margin with 19 more points in the second half.
 
Guelph responded to its lone loss of the season, a 40-13 defeat to defending OUA champion Queen's, by winning its final three matches by a combined total of 174-38.
 
Turning Point
Francis scored right before the half, which was a dagger for a Laurier side looking for a smaller margin to overcome after the half. The scoring play was one the Gryphons' best moments, a well-worked try that came from a number of offloads.
 
Gryphon Take
"It was one of the more complete games we played this year. I was happy with how the guys stuck to the plan and executed for the majority of the 80 minutes." – head coach Cory Hector
 
The Record
Guelph is 7-1.
 
Next up
Host an OUA semi-final in two weeks, opponent/date TBD