PREVIEW: Home playoff berth on the line for pivotal men’s rugby duel with Concordia
October 19, 2022
October 22, 2022
- The Matchup: Ottawa Gee-Gees (5-1, 24 points, 2nd in RSEQ) at Concordia Stingers (4-2, 20 points, 5th in RSEQ)
- Location: Concordia Stadium (Montreal, Que.)
- Kickoff: 12:00 p.m.
- All-time series: Concordia leads 4-0
- Last matchup: Ottawa 21, Concordia 37 – Oct. 30, 2021, at Concordia Stadium (RSEQ semifinal)
- Broadcast: Stingers TV
This is the final weekend of the RSEQ season, with five teams vying for just four playoff spots. Things are indescribably tight atop the standings, with McGill, Ottawa, Bishop's, ETS and Concordia all within five points of one another.
Ottawa controls their own destiny – a win bonus point win versus the Stingers will guarantee them a top-two finish and a home playoff game. A win would also put them in good position to host a playoff game, while a loss could see them tumble out of the playoff entirely.
The Gee-Gees might not even know their fate once the Saturday game is over. Bishop's and McGill are facing off the next day in the crucial final matchup of the year.
OTTAWA GAME NOTES
- Major stat leaders
- Tries: Graeme Neill-Klein and Andreas Dionisopoulos – 4
- Converts: Zak Campbell – 14
- Penalties: Sullivan Murphy – 2
- Ottawa earned some rest last week. They were slated to travel to Sherbrooke, but the Vert et Or did not fulfill the fixture. The Gee-Gees were officially credited with a 28-0 win and five total points in the standings.
- With a win, the Gee-Gees would host a playoff game for the first time in program history.
- The Gee-Gees have never beaten an English-language Montreal school, going a combined 0-9 against Concordia and McGill.
CONCORDIA GAME NOTES
- Major stat leaders
- Tries: Stanislas Blazkowski – 5
- Converts: Arthur Amaudric Du Chaffaut – 11
- Penalties: Nicholas Gagnon – 1
- Concordia had to work for it last week, hanging on for a 24-22 win against Montreal.
- The Stingers, the four-time defending conference champions, dropped their first two games of the season. They've been on a four-game winning streak since.
- In an odd scheduling quirk, Concordia has only played at Matt Anthony Field once. It was a 59-10 win for the Stingers on Sept. 22, 2019.