Host rugby Knights go 4-4 for weekend
After winning back-to-back OCAA gold medals in women’s 15s rugby in 2015 and 2016, the Fleming Knights are still finding their way in the sevens game.
The Knights resisted the move to sevens in 2016, electing to remain a 15s side with a handful of colleges while the majority moved to sevens. Last year, the OCAA moved solely to sevens and the Knights finished fifth overall at the OCAA championships in their inaugural season.
This year the Knights are 4-4 and in third place in the East Division after hosting eight teams for the OCAA cross-over weekend at Fleming Sports Complex on Saturday and Sunday. They have one more weekend of regular season action next weekend at Loyalist College. The top three teams in each division advance to the OCAA Championships on Nov. 3 co-hosted by Humber and Sheridan colleges.
Veteran Fleming coach Shannon Burton came from a 15s background and admitted last year she was learning the sevens game herself. With half her team gone from last year and the championship players now moved on, Burton says she’s changed the focus this year.
“This has been a rebuild season and redevelopment of the team,” said Burton. “We realigned our goals this year so that it would be an attainable thing for us and put us where we want to be moving forward. We came into the tournament this weekend changing our game plan and reworking our systems.”
It was a process to build a winning culture in 15s and it’s going to take a similar process in sevens, she said.
“We want to set a really strong, supportive team atmosphere and get all of our players really committed to the team and the program and to each other. And get some systems and values and work ethic in place that will really help us as a whole program in the years ahead,” she said.
She’s rostered 12 players with three-quarters from the Peterborough area. The majority are eligible to return next season.
On Saturday, Fleming split two games losing 26-10 to the Seneca Sting while defeating the Con- estoga Condors 10-7. Harlynn Beauchamp-Phillips scored two tries against Seneca. She added another along with Kasey Hislop against Conestoga.
On Sunday, Fleming lost 14-10 to Humber and beat Sheridan 22-7. Cassandra Stark and Beauchamp-Phillips had tries versus Humber. Against Sheridan, Stark had two tries with singles to Sarah Ghey and BeauchampPhillips. Hedy Cartmill kicked a convert.
In other action on Saturday, St. Lawrence Vikings beat Conestoga 15-12, Humber beat the Loyalist Lancers 43-0, Sheridan Bruins edged Durham Lords 19-15, Algonquin Thunder beat Seneca 19-5, Humber slipped past St. Lawrence 12-10, Loyalist dumped Sheridan 30-14, Seneca downed Durham 32-5 and Conestoga blanked Algonquin 43-0.
On Sunday, Algonquin handed Humber its first loss 10-7, St. Lawrence beat Sheridan 26-0, Loyalist defeated Seneca 33-6, Durham got past Conestoga 1912, Algonquin thumped Sheridan 36-5, Seneca downed St. Lawrence 15-10, Loyalist blanked Conestoga 29-0 and Humber pounded Durham 45-5.