GUSTY WEATHER HURTS MONTREAL IN FRISBEE LOSS
Tough-as-nails Rush beat Royal 24-17 as Toronto reclaims the Rumble Cup
In the end, Montreal Royal held onto the Rumble Cup for only a week this time around. The invented prize is good for bragging rights in the continuing rivalry between our city’s professional ultimate Frisbee team and the tough-as-nails Toronto Rush.
Rush beat Royal 24-17 on Sunday, avenging last weekend’s Montreal win in Toronto, and spoiling Royal’s home opener at intimate new venue Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard.
Royal’s record to start its fourth season in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) is now even at two wins, two losses. The team played its first three seasons at McGill’s Percival-Molson Stadium, drawing a league-leading average of 1,100 fans per game.
Ultimate has been around since the 1960s and was officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 2015, but is an emerging sport on the pro level. AUDL was launched in 2012 and has steadily expanded since.
The atmosphere at ClaudeRobillard was enthusiastic, with Royal greeting 1,100 fans who braved the threatening rain. The weather held, with sun piercing through as six-piece brass band La Fanfare Jarry entertained the crowd during intermission.
Playing his first home game with Royal, French recruit Quentin Bonnaud was suitably impressed.
“It was a really extraordinary experience,” he said. “We don’t have this kind of crowd in France. The fans were crazy and the (natural grass) field was super. My objective was to come play with the Royal so at the moment it’s all good vibes.”
The Rumble Cup, similarly, is all in good fun. AUDL’s real hardware is handed out at the league’s championship weekend, which this year will be held in Montreal on Aug. 26-27.
Montreal has been a thorn in Toronto’s side since joining AUDL in 2014. Rush has been beaten only six times by eastern division teams during regular season play since 2013, and Montreal is responsible for four of those losses. But Royal’s hopes of taking both this season’s matches against the 2013 AUDL champions were dashed in the third quarter as Toronto stretched a 13-12 halftime lead to 21-15 by the end of the third quarter.
“It’s interesting, they always seem to give us a good game,” said Rush coach Sachin Raina, “and we try to step up our game with them.
“In the first half, they took advantage of the big crowd and came out hard, and we had to absorb that push. Then we got our opportunities in the third quarter and it was just a matter of holding on from there.”
High winds caused problems for both sides as the disc took unpredictable turns. But as Toronto stayed calm under pressure, Montreal began to push its luck as it felt the game slipping away.
“We played in windy conditions (Saturday against the Ottawa Outlaws) and everybody had drops,” Raina said. “We kept saying to the guys the basics you tell someone when they first start playing ultimate: ‘Watch the disc, right into your hands.’”
While turnovers abounded during the match, Toronto capitalized on a few costly Montreal errors early in third quarter, going on a 5-1 run that brought the score to 18-13.
“Our defensive line’s offence is really what pushed us in that second half,” Raina said. “We got turnovers, then were confident with the disc and managed to get those breaks.”
Royal interim coach Caroline Cadotte (replacing Guylaine Girard, who is out with a concussion) had mixed feelings about her team’s performance. Though happy with how Montreal started, she was disappointed to see things end in such unbalanced fashion.
“We knew the challenge was going to be the wind,” she said. “We started slowly in the second half, and as soon as our opponent gets a few points’ lead — this is not the first time this happens — our confidence gets shaken. Everybody tries to do too much and everything becomes difficult. We have to try to keep things simple, even if we’re losing by a few points.”
André Arsenault scored three times and was named most valuable player for Royal. He didn’t do anything special, he insisted, but just kept finding himself in the right place at the right time.
“On a day like today, you can’t attack the disc too much,” he said, “because the wind is very difficult. Our handlers look bad on a day like this. For a cutter like me, it’s more my kind of game.”
All in all, he noted, splitting the series with Toronto and going forward with a 2-2 record puts Royal in a good position.
“We won’t press the panic button just yet.”
Royal’s season continues next Sunday, May 14, at 1 p.m. with a home game against Philadelphia Phoenix. For more information, visit royalultimate.com