Gaels make Toronto Varsity blue

Men’s rugby score combined 149 points in opening two games en route to hot start

Gaels’ second row Henry McQueen breaks through two Toronto tackles to score a try during Sunday’s 77-3 blowout at Kingston Field.
Image by: Christine Blais
Gaels’ second row Henry McQueen breaks through two Toronto tackles to score a try during Sunday’s 77-3 blowout at Kingston Field.

There wasn’t any nail-biting at Kingston Field on Sunday afternoon. The Gaels kept their first home-appearance of the season far from close against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, demolishing the visitors 77-3.

The crowded spectator section witnessed a display reminiscent of the Gaels’ season opener at the Royal Military College when the Gaels opened up a similar lead. The team combined a total of 149 points for while giving up a only three against.

Queen’s controlled the pace of Sunday’s game throughout. Twelve Gaels combined for 14 tries, with eight coming in the first and six in the second, eight-man Tim Richardson scoring arguably the most prolific try of the day with a 60-yard kickoff return.

Queen’s winger Scott Kyle said he was proud of the Gaels’ kick returning.

“We had guys running good lines off the kick-off,” he said. “That brought a few breakthroughs, like Tim [Richardson], and Pat [Richardson] and [Ryan] Kruyne scored tries because of that.”

Although the Gaels’ locked the Varsity Blues in a vicious circle by scoring tries that led to kicks and returning kicks that led to tries, Kyle said there’s still room for improvement.

“We had a game plan and we tried to stick to it, but sometimes it got a bit loose,” he said. “We need to compose ourselves a bit more and up the chat. It’s all about communication.”

Head coach Peter Huigenbos said the team’s performance had flaws, but they’re fixable.

“We seemed a little frantic at times,” he said. “We like to play a fast style and I think today we could have been a little more composed, but all in all it was just some guys eager to play some rugby.”

Interim captain Kruyne posted several impressive runs and scored a try. He knocked through six conversions out of 14 attempts, with most of the kicks coming from difficult positioning on the field. Huigenbos said that aspect of the game is a work in progress.

“We’re always looking for improvement in our kicking game.”

The 2-0 Gaels will look to maintain their unblemished record against the 0-2 Waterloo Warriors on Saturday.

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