Commanding victory

Gaels bowl over RMC on the way to a massive win

The Gaels have yet to allow a point this season
Image by: Emilie Rabeau
The Gaels have yet to allow a point this season

For the second week in a row, men’s rugby dominated a team near the bottom of the standings.

The Gaels moved to 2-0 at home on Saturday, running through the winless RMC Paladins en route to a 45-0 victory.

The two squads faced off amidst adverse weather conditions. On a few occasions, offensive drives for the Gaels were stalled by lost possessions, caused by rain.

Gaels forward Tommy Kirkham said Queen’s had a slow start, but picked up momentum midway through the first half.

“We started slow, but it was just a matter of time before we broke the line and scored,” he said. “From there, our momentum didn’t really let up. A lot of strength came from the forward pack.”

Queen’s kicked off the scoring in the 19th minute when flanker Brendan Sloan carried the ball in for a try. Fullback David Worsley added the first of his five converts in the match.

Worsley, James Dent and Jeffrey MacDonald all added tries later in the first half to give the Gaels a 26-0 lead at the break.

Kirkham said the team’s play on lineouts was a major part of Queen’s victory.

“In terms of lineouts, we disrupted a lot of their lineouts,” he said. “Offensively, our driving ball was nearly unstoppable. Multiple drives over 30 metres.”

The Gaels continued to dominate in the second half, as wing Kainoa Lloyd and forwards Joseph Yelle and Angus MacPhail each scored a try and Worsley added two more conversions.

Head coach Gary Gilks was impressed with how his team played, considering the way the weather impacted the match overall.

“45-0 is a good score in good weather,” he said. “But with conditions like that, it means we were really focused on what we were trying to do.”

No individual player was the key for the Gaels in the match, Gilks said, with the win instead being built on a basis of strong team play.

Queen’s has yet to concede a point so far this season, with their strong defensive game playing an important role in the early goings of the season.

“One of our key focuses during training is our defence,” Gilks said. “Again, we went another game without the opponent scoring on us, so that’s definitely something we’re quite proud of.”

The Gaels will put their perfect record on the line this Saturday when they face the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines.

Queen’s will be without a trio of players for both the Brock game and their road match with the McMaster Marauders on Sept. 28. Adam McQueen and brothers Jacob and Lucas Rumball will be absent due to commitments with their provincial teams.

Tags

Gaels, Gilks, Kirkham, Men's rugby, RMC

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