Gee-Gees finally golden at rugby nationals
DARREN DESAULNIERS
Three. Two. One. GOLD.
In a nutshell, that describes the past three years for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women’s rugby team.
In 2015, they finished third in the country. Last year they picked up a silver medal in Victoria, and last Sunday, they won the U Sports national championship gold medal with a 20-10 win over the Laval Rouge et Or at the University of Lethbridge.
It was the first national championship for the rugby program and just the fourth overall for the school in any sport. The football team won the Vanier Cup in 1975 and 2000 while the women’s soccer team won a title in 1996.
“A lot of relief for these girls,” rugby coach Jen Boyd said Thursday as the university celebrated the victory on campus at College Square with a morning rally.
“Some of them have been here for the three years and I thought we’ve been deserving of that trophy and for the past couple of years, we just couldn’t get our hands on it.
“There’s a lot of relief for me, especially for the girls that aren’t coming back. I’ll have many more opportunities at this and they won’t, so that’s probably the overwhelming emotion a few days later.”
There was more to battle than opposition on the pitch as bitter cold and snow plagued the tournament. The Gee-Gees persevered with a 65-5 quarter-final win last Thursday over Acadia ahead of a 32-15 win over Calgary on Semifinal Saturday.
“Lethbridge was definitely a unique rugby experience. It was about minus-20 when we were playing and one game there was even a blizzard,” fifth-year lock Breanna Phillipps said. “It was an unexpected experience, but our team was really prepared and we didn’t let that affect our game plan.
“I’ve been playing five years and a lot of these girls have been here for four or five years and everyone’s real drive to get to the top was what got us there. We played every minute for each other and I think that’s what made the difference.
“Last year,” Phillipps said, “losing the championship game was heartbreaking because we had been a very consistent team. The good part was that we were extremely prepared and experienced, and we had faith this year.”
For captain and fourth-year centre Dria Bennett, her emotions of both the championship win in Alberta and the celebration on campus Thursday were simple.
“So proud and overwhelmed,” she said.
“Going in I was very confident with the team, but you’re still nervous. As the game progressed we knew that we had to work even harder and it wasn’t until the (final) whistle blew that I was OK,” Bennett said.
The win is more impressive given the fact that just a few years ago the rugby program at the U of O was basically an afterthought. After 18 years as a teacher at Ashbury College, Boyd came along and things started to turn around.
“I got to OttawaU in 2013 and there was no equipment, many girls weren’t playing more than two years, no one knew any of the girls,” Boyd said. “Five years later I’m fulltime, there are financial awards to get girls to come here, there’s equipment, and no one says no when I ask because they know the direction I want to take the program.”
“It’s been transformational for me and the university, and for these young women to be the ambassadors and reap the rewards of the university’s commitment to them is remarkable. Women’s sport hasn’t always been at the forefront, but we are here and that says a lot to the values of the university.”
Boyd and assistant coach Duncan McNaughton along with teammates Bennett, Sam Alli and Alex Ellis won’t have much time to relax as they will be heading to Europe next week with the Canadian national senior team for a two-week test series versus England as preparation for the World Cup.