X-Women Crowned National Champions in Victoria

The X-Women are Canadian University Champions once again. St. Francis Xavier University’s women’s varsity rugby team have conquered the CIS National Tournament, doing so in convincing fashion with a 27-19 win over the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees in Victoria on Sunday afternoon. It’s the 4th time since 2010 that St. FX has claimed the title and 5th overall since the school from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, first took the top prize in 2006.

In slightly damp conditions both teams chose to the take direct approach, rarely moving the ball through the hands. The Gee-Gees were fully committed to their game plan, fielding Emily Gray at halfback in the first half to effectively give them nine forwards with winger Elizabeth Boudreault stepping in when Gray was inevitably stuck in the breakdown.

It was St. FX, however, who crossed the line first through hooker Danielle Cormier after a number of pick and drives on the line. Gray’s strength was evident some minutes later as she drove through the St. FX defense to put Ottawa on the board and draw the scores level.

Sam Lake was next to find the line after another frontal assault by the X-Women, reaching out to touch the ball down. Sabrina McDaid’s conversion made it a full seven points but the lead didn’t last long. Lake’s Gee-Gee counterpart Simone Savary showed determination to wrestle over, with Emma Sandstrom also successful with the extras to tie it up again.

While Ottawa’s extended pack was doing their share of damage in the loose, St. FX were dominating the scrum with Lake and captain Jo Alphonso proving exceptionally difficult to contain. Using penalties won from the set piece they worked their way into position for McDaid to make good on a three-pointer just as the first half came to a close.

A second half stalemate ended when Alphonso smashed over to give her side an eight point lead, but within moments it was matched as replacement second row Tori Wyman ran straight and hard to land the ball under the sticks. Sandstrom’s conversion make it a one point game to set up the a tense finale.

Fittingly it was the X-Women scrum who had the final say. The Gee-Gees pack disintegrated after St. FX walked them back to their line and the referee promptly jogged between the uprights to award the penalty try. McDaid’s conversion made it a two-score game and with the clock their enemy it was too late for Ottawa to recover.

Earlier in the day Concordia defeated McMaster 29-22 to claim 5th spot, while the Bronze went to the Calgary Dinos after their 24-12 win over the Guelph Gryphons. Following the final McDaid was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

 

SCORING

ST. FX X-WOMEN 27
Tries – D. Cormier (8), S. Lake (32), J. Alphonso (64), Penalty try (75)
Cons – S. McDaid 2 (33, 76)
Pens – S. McDaid (40)
Yellow cards – C. Williams (79)

U of OTTAWA GEE-GEES 19
Tries – E. Gray (18), S. Savary (37), T. Wyman (67)
Cons – E. Sandstrom 2 (38, 68)
Yellow cards – E. McCallan (41)

 

TEAMS

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY X-WOMEN
1 Sam Lake 2 Danielle Cormier 3 Joanna Alphonso (capt.) 4 Ellen Murphy 5 Carolyn Williams 6 Cyra Humber 7 Brooke Newsome 8 Miranda Sample 9 Alison Blanchard 10 Sabrina McDaid 11 Joanne Callow 12 Jaelei Meyer 13 June Beals 14 Merrit Blair 15 Breanna Allison

UNIVERSITY of OTTAWA GEE-GEES
1 Simone Savary (capt.) 2 Jessica Foran 3 Alex Ellis 4 Fiona McNeill-Knowles 5 Breanna Phillipps 6 Alexandra Liepmann 7 Emily Babcock 8 Danarae Sommerville 9 Emily Gray 10 Patricia Mandon 11 Alex Ondo 12 Chanelle Fortin 13 Emma Sandstrom 14 Elizabeth Boudreault 15 Sam Alli

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Chris Assmus