University of Guelph wins school’s first men’s Rugby National Championship

The University of Guelph’s men’s rugby team has captured a national title. CTV’s Jeff Pickel has the big moment.

The men’s rugby team at the University of Guelph has claimed their first national championship.

The Gryphons beat the host team, École de technologie supérieure, by a score of 18-13 on Sunday.

The team couldn’t contain their excitement.

“A ton of relief and obviously joy,” said Gryphons captain Kobe Faust, who won Player of the Match for the final game.

After qualifying for the national championship tournament every year since its inception in 2017, Guelph’s players and coaches called the win a relief and celebration.

“That’s five, six years of hard work grafting with my teammates, coming up short a couple times,” said 5th year centre Jacob Ince. “To finally get it done, I don’t think you could have written a better ending.”

Guelph’s head coach has a long history with the team. Cory Hector first played with the Gryphons in 2002, then took on coaching duties in 2009.

“The trajectory of this program has only been going up… the support for the department has continued to improve, the support from alumni has continued to improve, and just to see everyone get behind it has really contributed to the overall success,” Hector said.

Faust also credited his coach, as well teammates both past and present, for helping them achieve five straight Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship wins. The entire roster plays a part in the team’s success.

“What is so special about being a Gryphon [is] we make it a big part of our culture to be one through 50 [players on the team],” Faust said, adding, “Every guy has a role.”

The national championship game marked Faust and Ince’s final rugby game with the Gryphons. The pair have been friends since their U16 year and decided to attend the University of Guelph in hopes of chasing the title together.

“Being champions and to say that we went five for five in the OUA and close the storybook with a national championship,” Faust explained. “To look back and be able to tell that story, I think it’s pretty special.”

The University of Guelph now has one gold and two bronze medals in the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship.