 Media Credit: Nathan Lebioda The Redmen avoided Rutherford’s potholes in their victory on Sunday.
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Redmen 37, Vert et Or 0
In less-than-perfect weather conditions, the McGill Redmen rugby team stepped onto the Rutherford Park pitch for its first home game of the season against the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. In a game that had more rain than shine, the ruggers splashed their way to a convincing 37-0 shutout of the visiting team.
It was obvious from the opening kickoff which team was going to get into the win column. Effectively using their tremendous speed, the Redmen dominated every aspect of the game. From set pieces to loose play, Sherbrooke was overwhelmed by the tidal wave of red, which seemed to come from every direction.
Strong and timely runs enabled the Redmen to reach the end zone early and frequently. Rookie Aaron Chase got the Red 'n' White rolling with a score coming from just outside the Sherbrooke tryline. Chase's teammates quickly followed suit.
By the end of the half, Robin MacLachlan and Matt De Graff added their names to the score sheet, helping the Redmen to a 17-0 lead after 40 minutes of play. A questionable call on a dropped ball in the end zone cost McGill a score, but they weren't going to let that stop the onslaught.
The Redmen came out with all guns firing as they took to the field for the second half, opening the door for a series of home-team scores.
McGill's ability to keep its adversaries away from open field play allowed Mike Lewis to find the end zone to make it 22-0. Sherbrooke's inability to keep up with McGill's quick play led to three more tries by Pat Weldon, Oliver Lyttelton, and Brent Patterson.
Despite the solid effort in this game, there is still plenty of rugby to be played and the season is far from over.
"We have a tough schedule ahead of us," Head Coach Sean McCaffrey explained. "It is going to be a club effort to get the job done. We're using these games as stepping stones for the playoffs. This year is no different."
When asked about his team's chances for success in the upcoming season, McCaffrey said that he has the right mix of players to be competitive. His players seem to be following his positive example.
"We have capable guys who can step in," Weldon proudly stated. "We have a solid core of [returning] players and a lot of depth. We now have more weapons available [on the team]."
"We are here to win and that is what our goal has been since the beginning of pre-season," explained Team President Aaron Akehurst.
After being asked about his teammates' abilities to get the job done on the field he simply said that "they are the class of the league."
With such an optimistic outlook and results to back them up, the rugby Redmen look poised to return to the Quebec Student Sports Federation finals and a possible three-peat of the championship crown.
Having a couple of young players still unavailable due to injury, it will be interesting to see what the team will be able to do with its deep pool of talent.
2008 Woodie Awards
