The regular season viagra pills for sale has come to an end for the Marauders men’s rugby team, and they will now be playing the quarterfinal game against the Brock Badgers – a team that they know well from last year’s quarterfinals, which ended with an 8-3 loss for McMaster.
“I would be lying if I said that 'the past is the past' and that we needed to look forward,” said captain Andrew Ferguson.
“I think that everyone involved in last year's quarter final loss has a bit of a chip on their shoulder coming into Wednesday's game… We know how Brock is going to play and we are excited at the opportunity to play them with our season on the line.”
The Marauders have played Brock already this season, and were able to pull off a win, with a close score of 22-19.
This was the same case last year, where the team was able to pull off a win early on in the season against the Badgers, but unfortunately could not hold them off in the last match of the season in the quarter-finals.
But there have been some major changes and differences in this year’s team, compared to last year’s team, with the most notable change being the loss of some key veterans.
“The biggest adjustment we have had to make from last year is the loss of a few key vets who helped build a demanding environment conducive to team success,” said Ferguson.
The addition of some notable recruits, however, has made the team stand out, and have more of a connection and positive outlook on the season.
“I am extremely happy with the additions of our rookies and the atmosphere in the room. Everyone is upbeat and believes that we have the potential to win the OUA. I think that is what separates us from last year's team, cohesion and respect goes a long way in a physical sport like rugby,” added Ferguson.
The Marauders now find themselves in a position where they could end the season on a better note than last year’s, and win the OUA quarter-finals to advance to the semi-finals- which is something that they are more confident with, especially after their whopping 57-0 win over the Warriors last weekend.
“I could not have written a better game to finish the season on. Winning a game like that gives everyone confidence going into playoffs. This game also gave everyone a chance to get all the kinks out of our game and I think we are a much more complete team because of it,” said the captain.
Ferguson believes that their record of 4-3 is justifiable given the talent that lies within the OUA conference, but they definitely have the ability to be up there in the standings.
“When you look at all the talent that is present in the OUA, a 4-3 record is definitely nothing to be ashamed of. That being said, we believe that as a team, we have the pieces to compete for top of the league,” said Ferguson.
Their underdog status stands, but Ferguson and his team firmly believe that they could be a dark horse team for winning the OUA Championship after they blow by the Badgers this Wednesday.
“By conceding a few early games in the season, we put ourselves behind the 8-ball so to speak. We created a tougher road to the final then we would have liked but I think everyone is confident that we can overcome our underdog title and win an OUA championship.”
The men’s rugby team will prepare to get to the OUA Championships by taking it one step at a time. The first step will be this Wednesday, Oct. 23, against the Brock Badgers on the Back Ten field.
It was a very successful weekend for McMaster Marauders rugby as both squads were able to pull off important wins.
The men’s rugby team defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks on the Back 10 field on Oct. 11 with a crushing 24-8 victory.
A commending effort by fourth-year Cam Stones who put up four tries against Laurier was a big part of the Marauder win.
McMaster hit the field hard in the opening minutes with fourth year Stones crossing the goal line twice within the first 10 minutes of the match. Captain Andrew Ferguson would then kick a successful convert on the second to extend the Marauders lead to 12-0.
Laurier would not be far behind showing some life in the first half as they successfully kicked a penalty goal to bring the score to 12-3.
Stones would strike once again for the third time in the match putting McMaster ahead 17-3 as the first half came to a close.
Offensively, the second half was a quiet one, as the Marauders would hold their ground and eliminate any opportunity for a Laurier point.
Stones continued to shine scoring his fourth and final try of the game with James Leveridge following that up with a successful convert helping the Maroon and Grey to grasp their third season win with a 24-8 victory at home.
Looking ahead to Waterloo, it will be important for the team to play a hard 80-minute game. Giving their all for the full 80 minutes will be the key.
“This is our last game before playoffs; a win with a bonus point is a must,” said Whitby, Ont. native Cam Stones.
“The main focus for this week’s game is coming out strong and maintaining intensity for the full 80 minutes.”
“We need to win this game decisively and it’s an important step to gelling before playoffs.”
McMaster will conclude it’s regular season in one week’s time as they welcome the Waterloo Warriors to the Back 10 field. The game is set for Oct. 19 and kick off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Although the Marauders lost against the undefeated Queen’s Gaels in Kingston, Ont. on Oct. 5, the game was not at all bad for the Maroon and Grey contingent that gave the Gaels a run for their money.
The Marauders knew what they were up against at the Gaels home turf on the Saturday afternoon, so they made sure that they did not make any mistakes to hand the home team the win.
“We knew that we were going to be in tough against Queen's and so there was a large emphasis placed on doing the simple things right,” said Marauder captain, Andrew Ferguson.
“Against a team like that, one mistake can cost you the game and so we could not give them any extra motivation or momentum to work with.”
The Marauders got to the lead in the first couple of minutes of the game, with a penalty kick. But their lead was short-lived, as the Gaels then scored a try and a successful conversion.
The Tri-colour team began to extend their lead with multiple conversions and tries, but the Marauders narrowed the lead after the McMaster’s Cam Stones scored a try and Ferguson made the conversion shortly after.
In the second half, the Marauders began to make a comeback that Ferguson was very proud of.
“In a game where we were outscored heavily in the first half, I think that the boys showed a ton of heart in mounting a comeback in which we were evenly scored in the second half,” said Ferguson.
McMaster’s Richard Ormrod scored a try, and Ferguson made the conversion once again.
After the Gaels scored another try and a conversion, the Marauders Cam Stones scored his second try of the game, and Andrew Ferguson made the third and final conversion for McMaster.
But the Marauders could not compete with the undefeated team, that made multiple scoring plays in the last half - brought them to a score of 50-24.
The next three games of the season will be very important for the Marauders, as they will be the make or break point for the team.
“These last few remaining games are crucial for our seeding going into the playoffs. If we win-out the season, this will give us a bit of momentum behind us and hopefully give us a chance to iron out the last few kinks within our play,” added Ferguson.
The Marauders will be look to rebound in their next game this on Oct. 11, when they will play the Laurier Golden Hawks in Waterloo, Ont.
Laura Sinclair
Senior Sports Editor
The Marauders rugby team held on to a lead against the visiting Brock Badgers on Sept. 28, and won the game with a score of 22-19.
The win was no easy task for Mac, as the Badgers got off to the first lead in the 18th minute of play when Brock’s Connor Fitzsimmons scored a try and a successful convert to make the score 7-0 for the Badgers.
Their early 7-0 lead was short-lived, however, as Marauders captain Andrew Ferguson scored a penalty kick five minutes later to narrow the score to 7-3, and the Maroon and Grey kept the momentum for the remainder of the first half.
Richard Ormrod scored the team’s first try, and Ferguson kicked through the convert, making the score 10-7 for Mac.
The second half did not start off well for the Marauders, after letting the advantage slip in favour of the Badgers with a try giving the visiting team a 14-10 lead.
But the Marauders were unstoppable in their home turf, and didn’t let the Badgers lead last long, as they regained control of the game, scoring 12 points in eight minutes of play.
Davor Stojanov scored a try for Mac in the 60th minute, and Ferguson added a try as well seven minutes later. The second convert made the score 22-14 for McMaster.
The Badgers were not finished yet, however, as they pressured the Maroon and Grey with only a couple minutes left in the game. They scored a try in the 72nd minute of play, which narrowed the score to 22-19 for Mac.
That was as close as the Badgers would get however, as the Marauders managed to hold their lead for the remainder of the game, and come out on top with a 22-19 final score.
Next up for McMaster will be a road trip on October 5th to Kingston, Ont. to visit the undefeated Queen’s Gaels. Kick-off will be at 1 p.m.
Alexandra Reilly
Assistant Sports Editor
The Western men’s rugby team kept their undefeated season in tact this weekend, as McMaster’s hard fought battle just was not enough to take down the Mustangs on their home field.
On Sept. 21 the Marauders travelled to London, Ont. to battle against a 2-0 Mustang crew.
Although the game proved to be a physically intense one for both teams and neither squad put up any points until 25 minutes in, the Mustangs would prove to triumph late in the game leading the Marauders 13-5 heading into the half.
The Marauders would come out fighting in the beginning of the second half, scoring their second try of the game less then ten minutes into the half. Western did not hesitate to respond soon after as James Ojo burst through to score a try three minutes later.
Despite numerous scoring opportunities for the Maroon and Grey squad the score remained 25-10 for the Mustangs for the rest of the game until a late try followed by a conversion would put Western out of Mac’s reach with the score sitting in the Mustangs favor at 32-10.
McMaster would walk away with their second loss of the season on the road. The Marauders hope to lick their wounds clean in order to prepare for their next contest in which they face Brock University on Sept. 28 at home.
The Marauders 1-2 record now ties them with Brock for fourth place in the standings.
McMaster hopes to come out successful against the St. Catharines crew in order to put them slightly above in the OUA rankings.
Alexandra Reilly
Assistant Sports Editor
With an all-star performance by sophomore centre James Leveridge, the Marauders were able to cling to a 22-13 win over RMC on Sept. 15.
Leveridge racked up 17 points over the course of McMaster’s win making him the deciding factor of Sunday’s game, which took place in Kingston, Ont.
This win now puts the Marauders at a 1-1 standing after dropping a 24-16 decision against the Guelph Gryphons on Sept 6.
RMC struck early on when they managed to break through the Marauders line to complete a try in the early minutes of the game.
But Leveridge would then successfully kick the convert to give McMaster a lead over their opponents.
Matt Courtney of the RMC squad would score to crush the McMaster lead and bring the nail-biting opening sequence to an end.
Leveridge would once again strike gold for the maroon and grey as he successfully kicked a penalty to tie the match at 10 even.
The second half of the game proved to be where Leveridge showed his true potential.
With neither team scoring a try in the first 40 of the half, Leveridge would go on to kick three penalties bringing McMaster’s lead to even greater heights.
Time would soon run out for RMC on their home turf, giving the Maroon and Grey their first win of the season on the road.
The Marauders will look to build on this win by adding another “W” as they travel to London, Ont. to face the Western Mustangs this Sept 21
Laura Sinclair
Senior Sports Editor
The Marauders men’s rugby team fell short this past weekend to the Guelph Gryphons with a score of 24-16 in wet and muddy conditions.
The Marauders led with a score of 10-5 before the break, but could not hold the lead as the Gryphons had the home crowd on their side and were desperate to make a comeback.
The Gryphons struck late in the game, and although the Marauders kept up with the Guelph squad, they could not overcome the deficit.
Although the Marauders lost the match, head coach Phil White was still happy with the performance, and the improvement of the team especially from the defensive end.
“Our defensive performance wasn’t where we wanted it to be last year – both as individuals and collectively” said White.
“We put a strong focus on defence at training camp this year. Although we dropped our first game to Guelph on Friday, we were pleased overall with the improvement in our defence.”
Veteran Marauder Andrew Ferguson was the leader of Mac’s offensive attack with 11 points, scoring three penalties and a convert.
Marauder flanker Ryan Natale added a try.
White is looking forward to the rest of the season with his team that has an array of talent in all different areas.
“We have a strong mixture of established veterans, talented young players and a strong and hard-working coaching staff,” said White on his diverse team.
White believes that if his team continues to work hard, they will have a great season, and potentially win an OUA gold medal.
“It will not be easy but we are confident that we will prevail if we work to improve every practice and keep our eyes on the task ahead.”
The next task for the Marauders will come on Sunday, Sept. 15 where they will host the RMC Paladins.
By Maggie Cogger-Orr
After pulling their record to .500, last weekend would see the men’s rugby team play under the lights against the Laurier Golden Hawks to try making it three wins in a row.
Laurier came out flying, eager to excite in front of the homecoming crowd. The Marauder’s met their tone with some tough defence in the opening minutes. The rolling maul continued to be a dominating force for the Marauders, and they would use it to work their way into the Laurier end.
Craig Leveridge had several big tackles for the Marauders, which would help to stem the momentum of the Golden Hawks. A McMaster scrum which would see new fly half Joey Ross put a flying Davor Stojanov through a gap. Stojanov would break multiple Laurier would-be tackles on his way to scoring 50 metres later to set the score to 7-0.
The Marauders would charge right back down to the red zone, and after some hard work by the forwards, a sly miss pass by Ross would see Leveridge go in untouched for their second try of the game. It would be converted by his little brother, rookie winger Jamie Leveridge, to increase the lead to 14-0.
The forwards then found their chance at the scoreboard. After a kick for touch from a penalty put the lineout within ten metres of the Laurier goal line, the McMaster pack went into autopilot. Using the rolling maul that has been the undoing of their last few opponents, they would push into the in goal where Cam Stones would be the lucky man to fall down and be awarded the try. The younger Leveridge would slot an extremely difficult kick from the left sideline to increase the score line to 21-0.
Perhaps the onslaught of scoring went to the head of the Marauders, because a few poor passes would lead to Laurier having several scrums in the McMaster red zone. Some excellent scrum defence, led by rookie open side Max Catterson, would put the Maroon back on offence. Some effective phases of ball movement would only be stymied by a disturbing trend of handling errors in later phases.
The last 20 minutes of the half would be frustrating for the Marauders, who could not seem to finish their attacks. This particular variation of the back line had no game experience working together, but never the less, ball handling seemed to be the bigger issue than line running or communication.
The second half would start in much the way the first half ended with the Marauders getting sustained offensive pressure, but then a mistimed pass led to an 80-metres break by the Laurier inside centre. Some hard tracking work by wingers Mackenzie Chown and Leveridge would allow McMaster to relieve the pressure.
The scoring stalemate continued for the first 20 minutes of the second half. McMaster would clear the bench, hoping some fresh legs would be the solution to their knock-on woes. Laurier found their stride as the game wore on and spent several consecutive minutes inside the Marauder 5m. Although the Marauders defended valiantly, eventually the Golden Hawks pressure were too much, and lock Andrew Thomas would score Laurier’s first try of the game, and of the 2012 season. The score was at 21-7 after the ensuing convert.
Some effective phase play kicking from Ross saw the Laurier winger cough up a kick inside their 22-metre line and give the Marauders an attacking scrum a chance to add onto their lead. After several consecutive phases of hard forward running, Ross would capitalize as he split the defence to restore the difference to 21 points following the older Leveridge adding on the extra two.
In the dying minutes of the game, a misplaced kick by Laurier fell into the hands of rookie fullback Richard Ormrod, who offloaded to veteran Mike Paris. After Paris beat several Golden Hawks around the sideline, Ormrod would be rewarded for his support and receive an easy pop behind the last defend to score his first try in maroon.
Some penalty trouble in the final plays would see the Marauders pinned deep inside their 22-metre line. They unable to relieve that pressure, and Laurier put up their second try of the day to end the game with a score of 35-12.
Now over .500 for the first time this season, the Marauders will take on the University of Toronto Varsity Blues at home before enjoying their Thanksgiving weekend.
Maggie Cogger-Orr
Silhouette Staff
For the second year in a row the men’s rugby team journeyed westward to British Columbia to compete in the second annual CIS University Sevens Tournament. After losing in the plate final (third place game) to UBC last year 31-0, the Marauders were looking to improve on their previous campaign.
The Maroon and Grey began the tournament under grey and dreary skies in Langford – the new heart of Rugby Canada’s centralized training programs – as they faced off against the University of Saskatchewan. The Marauders – sporting brand new white kit – would open up the scoring with some fancy footwork by second year scrumhalf Andrew Ferguson, who would score and convert his own try two and a half minutes into the first half.
The success would continue from there as some hard work by forwards Sam Roberts and Cam Stones – who were both flying around the field making tackles – would pay dividends for the Marauders. Chris Gordon would speed around the edge for a try of his own to end the half at 12-0.
The second half would open with a great run by Davor Stojanov, who would score a 60m try and dispose of two Saskatchewan players on the way. The frantic pace would result in missed opportunities from the Marauders, with several dropped balls and penalties keeping them from the in goal. Substitute Trevor Anderson would finally pounce on a loose ball to bring the score to 26-0 after Ferguson added the convert to end the game.
The Marauders next opponent would be the University of Alberta. The Marauders wasted no time in setting the tone with a try from Stones to bring the score to 5-0. Some pace from the Alberta backline featuring a CIS ranked 200m sprinter would give them momentum to even the score going into the half. National sevens player Tyler Ardron would be subbed onto the field after half and would make a big impact, leading to Ferguson touching down under the posts to put McMaster up 10-5. In the final minutes, Ferguson would break free from his own goal line and sprint the length of the field to touch down to end the game 15-5.
The final game of the pool stage would see McMaster take on the University of British Columbia. The battle of the undefeated teams would see both teams looking tired after a lengthy day, with passes and hands going awry on both sides of the ball. Still UBC would take a 12-0 lead into half in spite of some hard fought defence from McMaster. The second half would be all Maroon and Grey in terms of offensive pressure but only Chris Gordon would be able to cross the try line, bringing the score to 14-5 when the final whistle blew.
After finishing with a 2-1 record on day one, the fifth ranked Marauders would start day two in the quarter finals against the fourth-ranked University of Calgary. This high scoring affair would not start in favour of McMaster with Calgary quickly jumping to a 7-0 lead. The Maroon and Grey would respond in a big way though – quite literally – with all 6’5” of Ardron collecting the kick off and going 85m for the try through most of the Calgary team. Unfortunately he would miss the easy convert and the Marauders would trail 7-5.
The run seemed to jump start McMaster though with some great teamwork leading to Gordon and then Mike Paris respectively turning the corner on Calgary to make the score 15-7. A last minute converted score from Calgary would make the halftime score 15-14 for McMaster.
The second half would see McMaster play some solid team defence as well as Paris and Gordon link up again. Paris would break free of the pack and use Gordon to beat the last defender as he would touch down under the posts, bringing the score to 22-14. Another try from Ardron would put it out of reach for Calgary and give McMaster the 27-19 win and book their ticket to the semis.
The semi final would see the Marauders face UBC again as both teams looked to improve on their result from last year’s plate final. UBC would jump out to an early 19-0 lead after some miscues in the McMaster defence saw big gaps open up. The Maroon and Grey looked to rebound after half time and managed to outscore their opponents 12-5 in the second half with tries from Ardron and Roberts. It was too little to late though as they would fall 24-12 in the end.
Their final opponents would be the University of Victoria in the plate final (third place), a team stocked with National Team members. The Vikes would draw first blood with a big run by national team member Nathan Hirayama, but Stojanov and Ardron would respond for the Marauders to bring the score to 14-5 going into half. Victoria would respond early in the second half with three tries to put them up 24-14. A late try from Ardron would be all for not as time would expire with the Marauders losing the match 24-19.
Universally regarded as the biggest and strongest team at the tournament, McMaster competed throughout the two day event admirably and looked right in step with the west coast schools who have been training in sevens throughout the winter.
While most of the team had their trip ended after the loss, three members of the squad (Ardron, Ferguson and Stones) will remain in BC, with Ardron continuing to train with the National Senior Men’s Team and Stones and Ferguson to play with the U20 National fifteens team. Both Stones and Ferguson will start in the team’s first game against Romania on Mar. 7.
Maggie Cogger-Orr
Silhouette Staff
On a grey dreary day and muddy and slick field, the Marauders could not weather the Mustang storm.
The McMaster men’s rugby team fell to a hearty Western Mustangs team 19-3 on Oct. 15.
Western, aiming to avenge their last lost to McMaster in the 2010 OUA Finals, came out hard and immediately pinned the maroon and grey inside their 22-metre line. Some staunch tackling and defensive pressure would see the Marauders force the Mustangs out to the centre of the pitch following some hard work by the forward pack.
Western would keep on coming in the opening half and the Marauders would continue to defend their line with impressive vigour and aggression. Craig Leveridge, in just his second game at flyhalf with the team, would use his boot to clear the end a few times and relieve some of the pressure.
When they did have the ball in hand, McMaster’s quick ‘go forward’ attack with their powerful pack would wreak havoc amongst the Mustang defence, causing them to take numerous penalties on the day. One of said penalties would lead to Andrew Ferguson’s penalty kick which would stand as the Marauders’ only points on the day and give them a 3-0 lead.
Slippery conditions favoured the Marauders throughout the first 40 minutes, as the lethal Mustang backline would be forced into handling errors. The tight game plan that both teams would turn to as a result of the pouring rain would show the dominance of the McMaster pack, including Man of the Match Cam Stones.
The consistent pressure their 22-metre line would cause the Marauders to take penalties and after several calls going against them within a few minutes, senior player Will Long was given a yellow card. Led by the fearless Mike Sheppard, the maroon and grey would work even harder to hold up the Western offence and would put enough pressure on them at scrum time to get out of their immediate red zone.
The Mustangs would look to the foot many times throughout the day but the McMaster back three of Grant Schneider, Mike Paris and Chris Gordon would be up for the challenge. Paris in particular had several great counters to get the Marauders out of trouble.
Unfortunately for the Marauders, their opponents would finally break through to open the second half with Conor Trainor, who recently returned from representing Canada at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, touching down. Western would convert to take a 7-3 lead.
The try would take the wind out of McMaster’s sails as Western used the momentum shift and immediately broke the line off the ensuing kickoff. The resulting lineout would see some skilled play by the Mustang back line eventually result in a try after a lengthy injury delay, putting Western up 12-3.
As the game wore on, emotions would come to a boil with one of the Marauders being penalized following a skirmish after a whistle. Western would capitalize after freshman Lucas Balkovic picked off a McMaster pass for a try of his own.
In spite of the disappointing result, there were some huge positives for McMaster. Their area of weakness thus far this year, their defensive structure and individual tackling, was far improved on the day.
If the Maroon and Grey can keep this up, they have the potential to challenge first and second place teams Western and Queens come playoff time.
The team’s next challenge comes on Oct. 21, as they travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons.
