MRGBY RECAP: Gryphons roll past Western to claim sixth consecutive OUA title

GUELPH, Ont. – For a sixth consecutive year, the Guelph Gryphons are OUA men's rugby champions. On Saturday night (Nov. 7) at the University of Guelph's Varsity Field, the Gryphons men's rugby team raised the Turner Trophy for a sixth consecutive year, defeating the Western Mustangs by a final score of 50-7 in the 2026 OUA gold medal game. For the Gryphons, it marks the ninth OUA title in program history, with Guelph now having claimed the conference banner in 1974, 1998, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. It has been 35 years since a team has gone on this kind of a run in OUA men's rugby, with the last school to win six straight OUA titles being the Queen's Gaels (1986-1991).

Gryphons men's rugby raise the Turner Trophy as 2026 OUA champions

The Western Mustangs earned a spot in the OUA title game for the first time since 2013, thanks to their OUA semifinal victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks. But Western's hopes of a first OUA title since 2011 would be dashed with Guelph, who pulled away in the second half, with the Gryphons outscoring the Mustangs 31-0 over the final 40 minutes. Seven different Gryphons recorded tries on the night, including a pair from Brenden Black, while OUA-leading scorer Josh Henry connected on four converts. The Gryphons remain undefeated, after a 6-0 regular season and playoff wins over Queen's and Western. Both the Guelph Gryphons and Western Mustangs will now move on to the national championships, with Trinity Western University set to host the 2026 Canadian University Men's Rugby Championships, with action in Langley, B.C. set to take place November 17-21.

Scoring Summary – 2026 OUA Championship Game (Western at Guelph – Nov. 7, 2026)

Minute	School	Type of Score	Player	Convert	Updated Score
10	Guelph	try	10 Brenden Black	Yes, 15 Josh Henry	Guelph 7 \| Western 0
13	Guelph	try	6 Heath Barnett-Ritcey	Yes, 15 Josh Henry	Guelph 14 \| Western 0
17	Western	try	10 R. Wentzel	Yes, 15 Charlie Newman	Guelph 14 \| Western 7
37	Guelph	try	11 Kal Sager	No	Guelph 19 \| Western 7
45	Guelph	try	12 Liam Bowman	No	Guelph 24 \| Western 7
55	Guelph	try	15 Josh Henry	Yes, 15 Josh Henry	Guelph 31 \| Western 7
59	Guelph	try	18 Seth Powell	Yes, 15 Josh Henry	Guelph 38 \| Western 7
63	Guelph	try	16 Andrew Ceballos	No	Guelph 43 \| Western 7
73	Guelph	try	10 Brenden Black	Yes, 14 Malin Hazl	Guelph 50 \| Western 7