SEASON PREVIEW: Men’s rugby aiming to take step forward in 2021
Coming off their first playoff appearance in program history, the Gee-Gees men's rugby team are striving for another solid campaign in 2021.
Ottawa finished third in the conference in 2019 with a 3-3 record, good for a spot in the semifinal. The Gee-Gees ultimately fell to McGill on the road, but it was nonetheless a solid showing for the program in only their second season of RSEQ play.
The regular season opens at home with a match against Sherbrooke on Saturday, Sept. 11 (kickoff 6:00 p.m.). The match at Matt Anthony Field will be the team's first league action in 18 months, and only the second varsity event of the year on the uOttawa campus, following the women's rugby match earlier that day.
"Like most sports, we've been away from the game we love for almost two years," said assistant coach Andrew Armstrong. "Everyone is super excited and starting at home will be extra special. We have a strong group of returning players and are excited to build off our 2019 season."
The backs are once again anchored by captain James Flemming (Belleville, Ont. – Education), who was named to the RSEQ Second All-Star Team in each of the last two seasons. Second year player Jamie Armstrong (Ottawa – Economics) is also looking to take on a bigger role within the team in 2021.
"It's finally sinking in that this is my last year with the team," said Flemming. "I'm going to come out with that fire every game and give the team the best I can. We've got to keep working and we'll see who put that work in and who didn't."
Front row Theo Espagnol (Clermont-Ferrand, France – Financial Math and Economics) and second row Duncan Hladik (Ottawa – Psychology) will headline the forwards for the Gee-Gees. Hladik was one of four players to score multiple tries for Ottawa in 2019.
Fresh off being selected by the Toronto Arrows in the 2021 Major League Rugby draft, the versatile Sam Mace (Kingston Ont. – Human Kinetics) will look to build on a solid 2019 campaign that saw him twice named a game MVP. After missing the 2019 season with a back injury, Elias Hancock (back row – Health Science) is primed to be a difference maker for Ottawa.
The veterans will have big shoes to fill. Key contributors Andrew Murphy, Brad Murphy and Jeff Radford all graduated, along with Nat Maginnis, who finished third in the conference with 48 points. Toff Patel (Ottawa – Finance) and Jamie Armstrong are slated to share the kicking duties this season.
Two first-year Gee-Gees to keep an eye on are Kieran Blair (Ottawa – Environmental Studies), who transferred from RMC, and Yenam Zouzoua (Johannesburg, South Africa – International Management), who is expected to start at No. 8.
Fans who are planning to attend the game are encouraged to read the Tickets and Gameday Information document, which includes up-to-date health and safety measures. The document can be found HERE.