Men's rugby book a spot in OCAA final with win over Georgian

By: Nina Kersnik
Humber Athletics Communications

BRAMPTON - Humber rugby (5-1, 2nd OCAA) took down the Georgian Grizzlies (5-1, 3rd OCAA) in the OCAA semi-final match on a chilly Saturday afternoon, 15-12. Harry Lutumba-Mpongo earned his first try of the season and Player of the Game against Georgian. The Hawks will now return to the gold medal match, hoping to win a back-to-back title. 

Today's win wasn't the only highlight of the match. Humber rugby also continued its long-standing tradition of honouring its seniors in its final home game. The Hawks acknowledged Declan Forgie, Gospel Ogonanah, Isaac St. Louis, Taeveon Tyndale, Steven Gonano, Reuben Hill, Nicolas Sabanegh, and James Robb-Kennedy for their contributions to the program. 

Match recap

The Hawks entered the match aware that it would be a tight contest against the Grizzlies, who were seeking revenge after losing to Humber in last year's semi-finals. 

They did just that, starting the match off with several physical blows, as both sides fought for the chance to get to each other's offensive zones. Eventually, Georgia found a seam and kept barreling through to put themselves up on the board first. After six minutes, the Grizzlies took a 7-0 lead once the convert was deemed good by the official. 

With Humber now looking for an answer, they quickly made their way to the right sideline from midfield, despite the tackles they endured. Now not far from the try line, the Hawks regrouped to send the rock the other way, eventually placing the dagger inside the zone for their first of the day. Just 12 minutes into the first half, Humber trailed the Grizzlies by two after Joshua Dunbar missed the convert. 

For the next little while, it was a total team effort for the Hawks, who pushed to take the lead. However, the visiting team kept their defence locked, preventing them from doing so. 

Moments before the end of the half, both sides created multiple chances to gain more points, but the score remained unchanged. 

After the low-scoring first half, Humber rugby's head coach Fabian Rayne put on some fresh legs, hoping for some better offensive play. Less than five minutes in, Humber's Nicolas Sabanegh scored his team's second of the match to take the lead. The Hawks would then gain possession and pin the Grizzlies back for Harry Lutumba-Mpongo to muscle his way in for his first of the season and Humber's third of the day. Despite the great efforts on their tries, Humber couldn't execute on either conversion, keeping an eight-point lead of 15-7. 

Then, in the 21st minute, the referee called for a scrum just past the midfield line, where Georgia would take possession and gain some ground into the Hawks' defensive zone. They would earn their second try after a fumbled pass from a Humber defenceman, closing the deficit to three points. 

As time wound down, both sides put on a show for the crowd after making several attempts to gain ground in their respective offensive zones. Luckily, the Hawks were able to stop the Grizzlies in their tracks with a last-minute defensive effort by Taeveon Tyndale, preventing them from grabbing more points. 

At the final whistle, the Hawks proved to be better defensively, winning 15-12 and advancing to the gold medal match next weekend. 

Humber Highlights 

• Humber improves to 17-7 all-time against Georgian - including 2-2 in the postseason.
• The Hawks have ten more points than the combined total of the bottom three teams.
• Cooper Markou leads the Hawks in points this season with 45.
• Humber placed second in points overall with 258, eight points more than the top-ranked Durham Lords. 

What's Next? 

The Hawks look to capture their tenth title against the No. 1 Durham Lords (7-0, 1st OCAA) on November 15 at Thompson Rugby Park in Oshawa. You can catch all the action on OCAA Live.