This weekend’s home playoff opener quickly turned into a display of dominance.
On Oct. 26, the 4-2 men’s rugby team took on the 3-3 McMaster Marauders at Nixon Field in a highly anticipated OUA quarterfinal matchup. The result was a 106-0 pounding by Queen’s, thanks to an all-around performance where they smothered McMaster in each aspect of the game.
It took just three minutes for Noah Gittens, MSc ’26, to open the scoring, with a clinical conversion from Marcus D’Acre, ArtSci ’26, giving the Gaels a 7-0 lead. Queen’s never looked back from there. Just four minutes later, Noah Merkur, Kin ’28, found the scoresheet with a try.
From the 19th minute onwards, the Gaels scored four tries in under ten minutes, with two impressive efforts from Owen Lee, Comm ’26, a strong push from Ben Falkner, ArtSci ’26, and a run from Gittens, each followed by conversions by D’Acre. In the half’s last 10 minutes, Queen’s refused to let their foot off the gas, with a strong run across from Coen Quinn, Sci ’28, and two tries in two minutes for Tao Nichol, Sci ’26.
Queen’s took a shocking 61-0 lead going into the second half, but they weren’t done yet. It took just a minute for Gittens to score his third try of the game. A try from Adam Doyle, Kin ’26, in the 47th minute, followed by another D’Acre conversion, gave the Gaels a 75-0 lead.
In the 52nd minute, the Gaels recorded two quick tries thanks to a run from Adam Stander, Sci ’28, and a good effort from Merkur for his second try of the game. An extremely quick run for Jackson Palmer, HealthSci ’28, in the 65th minute was followed by a great effort from Gabriel Ricci, HealthSci ’29, just five minutes later, giving Queen’s a 101-0 lead. In the final minute of play, Stander sealed the game with his try, giving the Gaels the 106-0 victory.
Head coach John Lavery isn’t one to boast about numbers, and that remained true when his post-game focus wasn’t on the score, but on how they got there. “Scoring 100 points doesn’t always feel super great to do to somebody else,” Lavery told The Journal in a post-game interview. “But we’ve been waiting all year for a complete performance from the guys—and we finally got it.”
Despite the lofty point total, Lavery’s focus was on the preparation that went into the matchup, refusing to take McMaster lightly. “Playoff games are never comfortable—you always have some anxiety going in,” he said. “But it was nice to see our work pay off. Over half our lineup were first- or second-year players, and that’s a performance they can be really proud of.”
He pointed out that the Gaels were without their star veterans Trekker James, ArtSci ’26, Bauer Mercer, ArtSci ’26, and Connor Hay, ArtSci ’26, due to injury. Lavery’s lips were sealed regarding their statuses for the rest of the season, but while the team certainly hopes to get them back soon, the coach is extremely happy to see his younger players step up. “It definitely speaks well for the future,” he said. “They got to see that the group is in good hands, and the leadership did its job.”
One first year in particular, though, stood out to Lavery, after scoring two tries with plenty of family in the crowd. “Stander’s a kid who’d a lot of choices about where to go, and he chose us,” he said. “His family’s a real rugby family from South Africa, and it means a lot to them to see him play on this field on a day like this. Stuff like that’s pretty special.”
Of course, the match wasn’t just a test of Queen’s future, but also of veteran perseverance. Lavery highlighted the coaching work of James Webb, Comm ’26, whose fifth and final year as a Gael was cut short due to health issues, but has stayed as an integral piece of Lavery’s staff. Also highlighted was fifth-year Falkner, whose rise over the last four years through the Gaels’ rugby program’s developmental squad—the ‘Reds’—and the Queen’s rugby club team helped earn the respect and trust of Lavery in a must-win game.
The Gaels move on to the OUA semifinals to face the 6-0 Laurier Golden Hawks, but Lavery, once again, isn’t taking the matchup lightly. “Playoff rugby is a funny thing. If you don’t prepare, anxiety creeps in,” Lavery said. “We’ll be going into that game eyes wide open and ready for the challenge. We expect one.”
The semifinal is set for Nov. 1, hosted by the Golden Hawks in Waterloo, ON. The start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Tags
Adam Stander. James Webb, Ben Falkner, John Lavery, Marcus D'acre, mcmaster marauders
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