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Inside the Scrum,
by James Le Huquet
Final - McGill 55, Gaiters
7, November 7, 2009
So the outcome of the Finals was not the one we had hoped for, but we
did have an amazing run to finish of the season, where we went from last
place to having home field advantage in the first round of playoffs. The
McGill game was a tough battle, always being on the defensive side of
their attacks. Going into the game we would have had to play the best
rugby and then some to even have a shot of winning, but stranger things
have happened. We did show a lot of promise in the second half where
they were only able to score two tries compared to putting up 38 points
in the first half. We bounced back as a team mentally - unfortunately a
little too late. I don't really need to talk about the game because
really all that matters was winning the championship which we didn't. It
really does show a lot that our school of under 2,000 students are able
to field a championship contending team for three years in a row. We
always have to deal with what we have and both myself and our coaches
are extremely proud of how we did this season.
Four
players earned all-star honours this season with three being forwards in
Ryan Lethbridge, Stefan Lemieux and David Rumsby with Matt Pereira being
the solo back all-star. A few other players on the team had all-star
seasons and our coaches hope that they can build on their performance
this year to actually be on the all-star team. Those players are
returning ones such as Ryan Ozeroff, whose leadership on and off the
field will be needed since many veteran leaders and the current Captain,
are graduating, and Nick Johnson, who really turned it around half way
through the season playing a bigger role in the tight play. As for the
backs, Pierrick Milhorat will be greatly missed has he has to return
back to France. His stellar fullback play and calm collected style was a
tremendous advantage and great pick up for us.
Next
year there will be a whole new crop of returning players that will need
to step up and take charge of the areas that are going to be vacant from
graduation. Newcomers such as Kyle Kelly, Blake MacGregor and Adam
Fraser will be great additions to the team. Look for them to play a
greater role on the team as they get older. As for the graduating
players they will be greatly missed as it happens every year.
This
will be my last Inside the Scrum message and I hope it will be continued
by someone next year since it is a great asset to have. A few things
that I would like to say are that it has been a great privilege to be
apart of the Bishop's Rugby team, playing with many great friends and
teammates along with being coached by Bill Robson and Charles Goode.
These five years have meant a lot to me and I have learned a great deal
of life lessons on and off the rugby pitch. I speak for all the veterans
in saying we wish we had one more year to come back and enjoy another
season but that's not possible. Thanks for everything guys, and good
luck next season.
Cheers
Game 6 - Gaiters 31,
Concordia 5
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Friday, October 23 It was the last regular season game for
the 2009 season, as we wrap up our year with a rematch against Concordia
Stingers who had beat us in our first game of the season 17-15. This
game was crucial in terms of home field advantage for the semi-finals,
where the winner of the game would obtain this privilege. In the first
half the forwards dominated with continuous phases up the middle
retaining possession but was going up a very solid defense making us
work hard for every meter. The Gaiters opened the scoring off with a
kick pick and go by Jamie Le Huquet right by the line, diving over to
put the first points up on the scoreboard. Billy Murphy hit the
conversion. Then 5 minutes later Concordia gets on the board with a kick
that took an awkward bounce in favour for the Stingers getting by our
fullback Pierrick then having a Stinger touch it down in the back of the
try zone. An unlucky play that unfortunately happened but did not phase
the overall mentality of the Gaiters in their drive for home field
advantage. Like I said before the forwards where very strong during this
game with Nick Johnson bowling in on a slow ball possession giving us
the lead once again. Also a forward mauling drive turned into a two on
one with Ryan Lethbridge and Jamie Le Huquet who ended up wedging the
ball over the line with Ryan touching it down before Concordia was able
to get underneath to look like they held it up. The backs did an
outstanding job on defence having to deal with Concordia's big men
running through the center slots. Shane Tyrell did another great job on
the defensive end for the Gaiters making all his tackles either solo or
with assistance of Shaun Pais filling in for injured Matt Pereira.
Concordia did have some solid runs for distance but was never given the
opportunity to get anything going with the Gaiters holding the defensive
line with some big tackles from forwards Ryan Ozeroff, Jamie Le Huquet
and Stefan Lemieux not allowing their opposing forwards any give.
The second half was pretty much a replay
of the first with forwards scoring two more tries by Ryan Lethbridge and
Stefan Lemieux both stiff arming there way through multiple Stinger
players then touching it down in the end zone. Concordia did manage to
get another try with a back distribution allowing their winger to score
in the corner off a five meter scrum. The Gaiters kept up the intensity
with their defense not giving up in the last 20 minutes which had been a
problem in the first half of the season and did not want to see a
flashback of this happening just before playoffs. Even with the
substitutes coming in the flow and continuity of the game stayed the
same making it a lot easier the when we had to play against Sherbrooke
in the previous two games. Second half also say a few big hits from full
back Pierrick Milhorat who continues to be an outstanding pick up not
making mistakes and saving our bacon ever now and then. Jimmy Macni had
a break out performance with some big runs utilizing his speed and
surprising his strength giving one of the biggest bunts I have ever seen
against his opposing position at the wing slot. Jimmy is an explosive
player and can make a lot of things happen on the field with his energy
and "crazy legs" shakes he likes to do. His counterpart from Martinique,
Mathieu Alexandre, had a terrific performance diving on lose balls and
stealing balls in rucks. Mathieu playing the flanker position did
exactly what he needed to do covering the field and being all over the
opposing team pushing the boundaries. Man of the match for this game
goes to both Ryan Lethbridge and Jamie Le Huquet for their performance.
Ryan Lethbridge led the team with two tries for his seventh and eighth
tries leading the team being a constant force for the opposition when he
has the ball in his hands. While Jamie Le Huquet contributed with his
fourth try of the season and holding the post position off the rucks
making his tackles close to the break down and in the open field. The
final score of the game was 37-10 with the Gaiters obtaining home field
advantage and will play the Concordia Stingers again in the QURU
semi-finals this Friday night Oct. 30, stay posted for game time.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The game starts at 8 p.m. Good seats are still
available.)
Game 5 - Gaiters 17, Sherbrooke 0
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Sunday, Oct. 18 The game was another
must win in an attempt to obtain home field for the semi-final game. It
is always a tough game against Sherbrooke especially on their home pitch
which is always a lot tougher on the body because of the cold ground.
The game started off slow and that pace more or less continued
throughout the 80 mins, with numerous injuries making the clock stop and
the flow of the game was never able to get going. In the beginning 10
minutes the forward pack led by Nick Johnson led the charge crashing it
up the field. The forward where able to keep the momentum and the ball
going forward where Nick Johnson finally scored off a slow ball just
inside their 5 meter line. But Sherbrooke quick up on the attack managed
to retrieve the ball through a penalty which was a serious problem for
us getting called a bunch of times for holding on to the ball/not
releasing. A quick tap from the scrum-half then out to their backs
allowed a huge run for their number 12 who would have scored if it
wasn't for the consistent play of our French fullback Pierrick Milhorat
who stuffed him with a low tackle right around the quads immobilizing
him. Throughout the first half we were able to keep up the pressure
which resulted in a miss handled kick from Sherbrooke's Fullback
allowing Number 8 Ryan Lethbridge to score the second try of the half. The second half
started to get a bit more chippy and brought the skill level and play
down a couple notches. The second half was filled with scrums and
line-outs with both sides sharing equal amount of possession. The only
try scored in the second half was a forward drive off a lineout call,
where both Ryan Lethbridge and Ryan Ozeroff touched it down. This was
another forward driven try but wouldn't have scored if it wasn't for the
veteran play of 2nd row Ian Snowsell holding Ryan Lethbridge up as he
was about to fall too soon. At the end of the game the final score was
17-0 with the Man of the Match being given to prop David Rumsby, who
played exactly how he should, low and hard. Rumsby along with fellow
forwards Ryan Ozeroff and Jamie Le Huquet where taking care of the rough
stuff whether it was hitting rucks or making their tackles, they did not
see much offense that game but needed to play the roles they did in
order to secure a Bishops victory. Also another mention needs to go out
to Shaun Pais who filled in at fullback when Pierrrick had to come out
because of injury. Shaun usually plays the wing position and is very
vocal on the field with position wise but that game he stepped up and
made a few try saving tackles. Good job Shaun.......... Game 4
(Homecoming) - Gaiters 32, Sherbrooke 0
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Friday, Oct. 2 This game was a must win for us
especially after our last game in which we seriously struggled against
with McGill. Homecoming game is a very important one because we are
playing for our school's pride that weekend, so all of us knew that
losing was not an option. All week during practice our coaches brought
it back down to simple basic rugby, making us smash each other pretty
much all week not caring who would get hurt because we needed to toughen
up. Well it worked and was demonstrated in a complete domination from
start to finish not even conceding a single point. In the second half we
needed to come out even harder then we did in the first and not let up
late in the game - which has been an issue for us this season. In this
half, the forward pack continued to dominate with two more tries, one
off of hard work from the entire pack grinding out the slow ball then
James Le Huquet capitalized off of a quick pick and in. The second try
of the half was scored by Ryan Lethbridge - giving him two on the night,
this was scored off a forward crash ball where Ryan broke a tackle then
punched it in. Billy Murphy was only able to hit one of these
conversions but also hit two other penalty kicks giving him, 10 points
on the night with this boot alone. The rest of the game started to get a
bit chippy with frustration building up, but we as a team managed to
keep our cool and maintain our focus for all 80 minutes of the game.
We are looking forward to the bye week this weekend in
order to rest up some injuries and give us a bit of time to relax with
the month of September being rugby-heavy. Hopefully in these two weeks
we can start incorporating some new tactics offensively - making us more
dynamic as a team. We next play Sherbooke in two weeks time on Sunday at
U de S. This game is the second to last one of the season and may
determine where we finish in league standings.
Game 2 - McGill 57 @ Gaiters 5
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Friday, Sept. 18
So I guess there is nothing really to report about the McGill game - it
was what it was and that was a slaughter (ha ha). No one really had an
outstanding game to mention about, just we need to look past that game
and onward into the season, and especially for the rookies to shake that
game and regain some confidence.
As for the Ottawa U game a lot of potential game out of that game. The
first half of the game was mainly played by half the A team and subs
along with a combination of B players that are candidates to be brought
up throughout the season. The Ottawa game also had two break out
performances from Pierre-Eric (PEEK) as he likes to be called and the
other was 8 man Ryan Lethbridge who Captained his first game for an
exhausted James Le Huquet - who played the previous day after the McGill
game in a regional quarter-final for Sherbrooke Abenakis along with
Stephan Lemieux. Ryan Lethbridge was named man of the match along with
Ottawa U's number 8 who had a stellar performance for his respective
team.
The first half was very close with both teams feeling each other out
since neither team has played before. (This was an exhibition game since
Ottawa U wants to join the Quebec conference which will only make the
league better and more competitive.) The whole purpose of the game was
to introduce the system we run to the new guys on the team and current
"B" players who show a lot of potential in practice. The kicking game
was outstanding with Pierre-Eric and Billy Murphy kicking for distance
and field position. Billy Murphy also hit 3 penalty kicks and 2
conversions, giving him a total of 13 points on the night. The second
half was were the game opened up with a lot of forward possession and
crash ball. Slow ball system really worked and say three tries scored
because of it.
Some notable players that did exceptionally well where Braydon McLean
making his first official start with the team after coming over from
Football. Braydon actually scored a try also but had the game cut short
after suffering a shoulder injury that hopefully won't keep him out of
the line-up for long. Also there was Dave Murphy and Nick Korney who
both scored tries in the game and demonstrated that they two are capable
of playing with the "A" side. Along with first year scrum-half Blake
McGregor who demonstrated that he too is ready to make a push on the
squad. Throughout the game he was very calm and collected which is rare
for a first year to be and especially at the position he plays. The last
two tries were scored by Ryan Lethbridge of the back of a maul that the
forwards drove in from the 10 meter line and Pierre-Eric our fullback,
who just dangled his way through the back line beating the winger inside
after a dummy-pass opened up a huge gap.
After sustaining a terrible and humiliating loss to McGill two days
prior to the Ottawa U game and having to play them again next week at
McGill, it was good to get a win under our belt and regain some
confidence on the field. The season is coming to its half way point and
we as a team can only improve on our mistakes and come together as a
collective unit. "When we play our game and work the system we have in
place good things will happen" says Coach Charles Goode. Next weeks game
will be another difficult challenge but no matter what the outcome is
the sun will rise again for Bishops Rugby which we say against Ottawa U. Game 1 - Gaiters
15 @ Concordia 17 -
Friday, Sept. 11 The first game of season went relatively well even
though we ended up losing 17-15. The first 10 minutes of the game
Concordia was on the offensive trying to break the lines early, but was
not having any luck. They attempted to drop goals within the first 15
minutes missing them both trying to get on the score board early. A
penalty inside our half allowed Concordia to take a penalty kick which
they made to go up 3-0. Throughout the half it was back and forth with a
lot of brilliant play on both sides and stellar defence. Matt Pereira
had an amazing run breaking through the lines from 40 metres out for the
first try of the game, which was then followed by extra points which was
hit by Billy Murphy. Unfortunately Matt had to come off at the half
because he has been battling the Flu previous to this game. Concordia
came out flying after that try and kicked a high ball off the kick off
which was caught by Ian Snowsell who then was rocked by two players as
soon as he caught the ball. Ian being a veteran player held on to the
ball and not losing possession for us. After a few phases later and a
couple penalties, Concordia was knocking on our doorstep at the goal
line trying to punch it in with forward crashes. They eventually did
manage to score and hit the extra points going up 10 - 7 with about
15 minutes to go in the half. Bishops was able to counter attack after we
had stolen the ball and gotten it deep into Concordia's zone with a
lineout. A forward drive off the lineout took Concordia from their 30
meter line all the way to their goal line, where James Le Huquet took
the ball from the back breaking a tackle and scores to put the Gaiters
up 12-10 to end the half. Even though James managed to score that try,
it was only possible because of the brilliant play of the forward pack
in the line-outs driving Concordia. The Second half was a different
story with defence being the major factor. The entire second half had a
lot of penalties which changed possession from one side to another. A
big highlight of the second half was Stephan Lemieux's bone-crushing hit
on Concordia's captain which left him lying on the field for a few
minutes, having the game stopped for the trainers. Finally in the final
5 minutes of the game Concordia took a penalty 25 meters in front of
their posts allowing Billy Murphy to hit a penalty kick to put Bishops
up 15-10. Concordia came back off the kick off with a short kick to
space allowing the to get the ball back, but Bishops defence was still
there holding them outside of 40 meters. The final play of the game was
a kick from Concordia deep into Bishops territory behind ever one,
unfortunately a couple costly mistakes happened allowing Concordia to
retain the ball 2 meters away from our goal line. They were able to
punch one in and the hit a tough kick for extra points giving them the
17-15 win. Other notable play went to our first
year fullback Pierre-Eric who is on exchange from France, he was able to
hold his position very well not allowing any balls to get passed him.
"We are a young team in certain areas and that showed at the end of the
game, especially when some veterans had to be subbed out because of
illness. We will learn from out mistakes and put this game behind us so
we can focus on a major challenge being McGill who we play Friday night
in our home opener." |
