OWL Cup Round Two And Intermediate Cup Preview

August 08, 2019

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OWL Cup Round Two and Intermediate Cup Preview

August 8th, 2019

(WHITBY, ON) - It’s Round 2 of the OWL Cup! In Round One, the Guelph Redcoats and the Aurora Barbarians won their respective matches to advance to the second round of competition.  The Toronto Saracens & Brantford Harlequins secured first place in their divisions, earning a bye into Round 2. To view the full OWL Cup Playoff format, click here.

Guelph Redcoats (West Seed #2) vs. Toronto Saracens (East Seed #1)

It’s a rematch of the 2018 final as the Guelph Redcoats take on the Toronto Saracens. Last season, the Saracens captured their second straight OWL Cup with a 46-36 win over Guelph. The Saracens were once again the class of the OWL in 2019. The team finished with the most points in the OWL with 43, posting a record of 8-2-0. While the Saracens look for their third straight OWL Cup, they enter the match having lost two their past three games. They lost to the Aurora Barbarians on the last day of the OWL regular season and were defeated by Club de Rugby de Quebec in the Canadian Women’s Rugby Club Championship. The Saracens did get back on track in their most recent match, winning the Bronze at the Canadian Women’s Rugby Club Championship, beating Charlottetown 15-14. 

The Redcoats look to avenge their 2018 OWL Cup loss and earn their way back to the OWL Cup Final. In Round One of the OWL Cup, the Redcoats took care of business, beating the Toronto Nomads to advance to the Semi-Finals. The Redcoats hope to recreate their effort in Round 6 of the OWL regular season. Guelph topped the Saracens 53-41 in a match that featured 15 tries. Guelph were the only team in the OWL to earn victories over the two top seeds, the Saracens and the Brantford Harlequins, during the regular season. 

Kick-off: 1pm at Fletcher’s Fields

Aurora Barbarians (East Seed #2) vs. Brantford Harlequins (West Seed #1)

The Brantford Harlequins finished in the top spot in the West Division. They went 8-2-0 during the OWL regular season, earning 41 points. The Harlequins were the top scoring side in the entire OWL this year, notching 538 points over the ten-game regular season. The Harlequins matched up with the Barbs less than a month ago in Round Nine of the OWL regular season. Brantford travelled to Fletcher’s Fields and beat Aurora 36-14. They will be looking to replicate that performance on Saturday. 

The Barbs compiled a record of 7-3-0 during the regular season, earning 35 points. Aurora defeated the Niagara Wasps in Round 1 of the OWL Cup and enter Round 2 having won their past two matches. To cap off the regular season, the Barbs scored a victory over the three-time defending OWL Cup Champions, the Toronto Saracens, beating them 34-30. Aurora will look to continue their strong play and continue their quest for their first OWL Cup since 2016. 

Kick-off: 1pm at Harlequins RFC

The OWL Cup Finals will take place on August 17th at Fletcher’s Field. 

INTERMEDIATE CUP 

The Intermediate Cup takes place at the end of the OWL Regular season. The fourth-place team in each division in the OWL faces relegation. The teams will participate in the Women’s Intermediate Cup against the top teams from the Niagara Rugby Union and Toronto Rugby branch leagues for a chance to retain a position in the OWL next season. The fourth place OWL West club will play the top team from the NRU, while the fourth place OWL East club with play the top team from the TRU. The teams will play each other in a two-match series, with aggregate score determining the winner.  The Crusaders Rugby Club have automatically been relegated, thus there will be only one Intermediate Cup series. 

Oshawa Vikings (TRU Seed #1) vs. Toronto Scottish (OWL East Seed #4)

The Oshawa Vikings attempt to win promotion to the OWL after a very successful season in the TRU’s McKenna league. The Vikings went 6-2-0 during the regular season, recording 30 points. The team finished third in the McKenna East Division, just two points behind the first-place Belleville Bulldogs. To cap off the McKenna season, the team matched up against Barrie for a chance to play in the Intermediate Cup. The Vikings came away with a 52-10 victory and earned an opportunity to join the top league in the province. 

The Scottish look to avoid relegation and remain in the OWL for the 2020 season. The Scottish finished fourth in the OWL East Division, posting a record of 3-7-0, earning 15 points. The battle to avoid the Intermediate Cup came down to the last day of the OWL season. The Nomads and the Scottish faced off in Round 10, with both teams sporting a record 3-6-0, tied for 3rd in the East Division. Unfortunately for the Scottish, they fell 29-15 to their cross-town rivals and now must earn their way back into the OWL. 

Kick-off: 12:30PM at Thompson Park, Oshawa.


ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES

The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens and Under-18 Men's and Women's Sevens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.


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WANT MORE INFORMATION?

Dalton Finkbeiner

Communications and Marketing Coordinator - Rugby Ontario

647-560-4790 x 1006
dfinkbeiner@rugbyontario.com


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