CIS women's rugby championship preview

Pronghorns looking for 3-peat
Courtesy Canadian Interuniversity Sport

VANCOUVER (CIS) – The two-time defending champion Lethbridge Pronghorns will have to get by a number of usual suspects in order to capture a third consecutive CIS women’s rugby title this week in Vancouver.

The 12th annual CIS tournament, hosted for the first time by the University of British Columbia, gets under way Friday with six round-robin match-ups and culminates on Sunday afternoon with the gold-medal final.

SSN Canada will have live webcasts of Saturday’s semi-finals at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Pacific Time, as well as Sunday’s bronze-medal game at 12 p.m. and championship match at 2 p.m.

Joining Canada West champion Lethbridge in Vancouver are the AUS champion St. Francis Xavier X-Women, OUA champion Guelph Gryphons, QSSF champion Concordia Stingers, OUA finalist Western Ontario Mustangs, as well as the tournament host UBC Thunderbirds.

Lethbridge, Concordia and Western will battle in Pool A on Friday, while StFX, Guelph and UBC hope to make it out of Pool B. The top two teams from each group at the end of round-robin play advance to the semi-finals.

The Pronghorns enjoyed another sensational season in 2009. The defending champs outscored their Canada West opponents 333-7 in six overall duels, including a 30-0 win over the five-time national champion Alberta Pandas in the conference final, en route to a fourth straight Canada West banner.

Back on Sept. 13, Lethbridge paid a visit to the X-Women in Antigonish, N.S., and scored a 17-12 exhibition victory over StFX in a rematch of last year’s national final, won 29-15 by the ‘Horns.

Leading the 2009 Pronghorns is fifth-year fly-half / fullback Ashley Patzer, a member of the Canadian senior national team and one of the most decorated players in CIS history. The CIS rookie of the year in 2005 and player of the year in 2006, the Lethbridge native was a three-time all-Canadian from 2005 to 2007 and was named MVP of the CIS tournament a year ago, when she joined the ‘Horns from the Canadian team in time for the university championship.

Named Canada West MVP this season, Patzer scored a try, two converts and two drop goals in the conference final against Alberta, earning player-of-the-game honours for her efforts.

“I do believe she is one of the top five players in the world,” said Lethbridge coach Neil Langevin, the former head coach of the Canadian senior national team. “She has grown so much in her five years, and not just as a player, but as a leader and as an individual.”

“This was definitely the hardest the game we’ve played this year,” Patzer said following the Canada West title match. “We just have to go home now and prepare to compete for that next championship. We just need to stay together as a team and stay focused as a team, and make our week of practice really worthwhile so that we’re prepared.”

Only one team in history has three-peated as Monilex trophy champion. Alberta captured five straight CIS titles from 1999 to 2003.

In Pool A, the Pronghorns will face a familiar foe and a new rival.

Lethbridge and Western, which lost 39-7 to Guelph in the OUA final last weekend, have battled no less than five times over the past three years at the CIS tourney, with the ‘Horns holding a 3-2 edge including a 2-0 advantage in the medal round.

In 2006, Western scored a 15-5 head-to-head win in pool play but Lethbridge prevailed 17-15 in the bronze-medal match. In 2007, the Mustangs once again came out on top in the preliminary round, 14-5, but the Pronghorns rebounded with a 15-10 gold-medal victory for their first national title. A year ago, Lethbridge won 20-3 in the opening round.

Meanwhile, Lethbridge and Concordia will square off for the very first time at the CIS tourney Friday at 3 p.m. Pacific, in the third and final Pool A duel.

The Stingers, whose best result at the national championship is a fourth-place finish in the inaugural tournament back in 1998, booked their ticket for Vancouver with a 13-10 overtime win on the road over previously undefeated Laval in the Quebec final.

The Pronghorns’ toughest opposition might come from Pool B as StFX and Guelph also come into the championship with perfect conference records and have been ranked right behind Lethbridge all season in the coaches’ poll. Both the X-Women and Gryphons have revenge on their minds, as they fell to Lethbridge in last year’s CIS final and semi-final round, respectively.

The X-Women, who claimed their lone Monilex trophy in 2006, were equally dominant in the Atlantic conference this fall outscoring opponents 423-26 in seven overall contests, including a 67-7 gold-medal win over Saint Mary’s for their 12th consecutive AUS title.

Like Lethbridge, StFX is led by a highly-decorated CIS veteran in fourth-year fullback Ghislaine Landry. The Toronto native is the two-time reigning CIS player of the year, a three-time all-Canadian and was named AUS MVP for the fourth time in four campaigns this season.

The Gryphons, who were the inaugural Monilex trophy champions back in 1998, have claimed CIS medals each of the past four years, including third-place finishes the last two seasons. They outscored their OUA opponents 367-35 in eight overall contests this fall.

Host UBC will be playing at the national level for the third time in history. The T-Birds won CIS bronze in 1998 and finished sixth in 2003.

TEAM PROFILES
Pool A

Lethbridge Pronghorns
Head Coach: Neil Langevin (10th season)
2009 regular season record: 4-0
2009 regular season standing: 1st Canada West
2009 playoff record: 2-0
2009 playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Nov. 3): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (9 weeks): No. 1 (all 9 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (9 weeks): 9
Conference award winners: Ashley Patzer (MVP), Kelsey Willoughby (rookie of the year)
Conference all-stars: Brandi van Eeuwen, Ashley MacDonald, Shannon Court, Kendra Reeves, Ashley Patzer, Kelsey Willoughby, Kenzie Ralph, Amanda Richardson
CIS championship appearances (inaugural champ. in 1998): 5th 
CIS championship all-time record: 11-5
CIS championship best result: 2-time champions (2008, 2007)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: 4th straight appearance, 5th in 7 years

Concordia Stingers
Head Coach: Graeme McGravie (5th season)
2009 regular season record: 5-1
2009 regular season standing: 2nd QSSF
2009 playoff record: 2-0
2009 playoff finish: QSSF champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Nov. 3): No. 4
Best Top 10 ranking (9 weeks): No. 4 (1 week – last poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (9 weeks): 9
Conference award winners: Hughanna Gaw (rookie of the year)
Conference all-stars: Claire Hortop, Hughanna Gaw, Jackie Tittley, Vanessa Grillo
CIS championship appearances (inaugural champ. in 1998): 4th 
CIS championship all-time record: 2-8
CIS championship best result: 4th (1998)
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd appearance in 3 years

Western Ontario Mustangs
Head Coach: Natascha Wesch (16th season)
2009 regular season record: 3-2
2009 regular season standing: 3rd OUA Shiels Division
2009 playoff record: 2-1
2009 playoff finish: OUA finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Nov. 3): No. 5
Best Top 10 ranking (9 weeks): No. 5 (2 weeks – last 2 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (9 weeks): 9
Conference award winners (Shiels Division): Laura Russell (MVP), Laurie Biewald (rookie of the year)
Conference all-stars (Shiels Division): Laura Russell, Laurie Biewald, Karen Harwood
CIS championship appearances (inaugural champ. in 1998): 8th  
CIS championship all-time record: 19-8
CIS championship best result: 2-time champions (2005, 2004)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 8th straight appearance

Pool B

St. Francis Xavier X-Women
Head Coach: Mike Cavanagh (11th season)
2009 regular season record: 6-0
2009 regular season standing: 1st AUS
2009 playoff record: 1-0
2009 playoff finish: AUS champions (12 AUS titles in 12 years)
Final Top 10 ranking (Nov. 3): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking (9 weeks): No. 2 (7 weeks – first 7 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (9 weeks): 9
Conference award winners: Ghislaine Landry (MVP), Amanda Thornborough (rookie of the year)
Conference all-stars: Asya Bartley, Lisa Gauthier, Jamee George, Ghislaine Landry, Megan Pritchard, Amanda Thornborough
CIS championship appearances (inaugural champ. in 1998): 12th 
CIS championship all-time record: 13-24-2
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (2006)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (finalist)
CIS championship sequence: 12th appearance in 12 years

Guelph Gryphons
Head Coach: Colette McAuley (3rd season)
2009 regular season record: 5-0
2009 regular season standing: 1st OUA Shiels Division
2009 playoff record: 3-0
2009 playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Nov. 3): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (9 weeks): No. 2 (2 weeks – last 2 polls)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (9 weeks): 9
Conference award winners (Siels Division): none
Conference all-stars (Shiels Division): Brittney Benn, Jacey Murphy, Michelle Joslin, Catherine Wilson, Caitlin Beaton
CIS championship appearances (inaugural champ. in 1998): 9th 
CIS championship all-time record: 17-18-1
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (1999)
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (bronze)
CIS championship sequence: 5th straight appearance

UBC Thunderbirds
Head Coach: Lesley McKenzie (2nd season)
2009 regular season record: 2-2
2009 regular season standing: 3rd Canada West
2009 playoff record: 1-1
2009 playoff finish: Canada West bronze medallists
Final Top 10 ranking (Nov. 3): No. 9
Best Top 10 ranking (9 weeks): No. 8 (1 week – 6th poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (9 weeks): 8
Conference award winners: none
Conference all-stars: Radha Jain, Danielle Willhoeft
CIS championship appearances (inaugural champ. in 1998): 3rd   
CIS championship all-time record: 2-4-1
CIS championship best result: Bronze (1998)
CIS championship last appearance: 2003 (6th)
CIS championship sequence: 1st appearance since 2003

CIS WOMEN’S RUGBY CHAMPIONS (Monilex Trophy)
2008 Lethbridge
2007 Lethbridge
2006 StFX
2005 Western Ontario
2004 Western Ontario
2003 Alberta
2002 Alberta
2001 Alberta
2000 Alberta
1999 Alberta
1998 Guelph 

CHAMPIONSHIP POOLS & SCHEDULE (All times LOCAL: Pacific Time)
For all the info on the 2009 CIS women’s rugby championship, visit: www.cis-sic.ca

Pool A
Lethbridge Pronghorns (Canada West champions / 4-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
Concordia Stingers (QSSF champions / 5-1 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
Western Ontario Mustangs (OUA finalists / 3-2 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)

Pool B
St. Francis Xavier X-Women (AUS champions / 6-0 regular season, 1-0 playoffs)
Guelph Gryphons (OUA champions / 5-0 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
UBC Thunderbirds (Championship hosts / 2-2 regular season, 1-1 playoffs)

Thursday, Nov. 5
18:00 All-Canadian Awards Banquet

Friday, Nov. 6
10:00 Round-Robin Pool A: Lethbridge vs. Western Ontario
10:00 Round-Robin Pool B: StFX vs. UBC
12:30 Round-Robin Pool A: Concordia vs. Western Ontario
12:30 Round-Robin Pool B: Guelph vs. UBC
15:00 Round-Robin Pool A: Lethbridge vs. Concordia
15:00 Round-Robin Pool B: StFX vs. Guelph

Saturday, Nov. 7
11:00 semi-final 1: first place Pool A vs. second place Pool B (SSN Canada webcast)
13:00 semi-final 2: second place Pool A vs. first place Pool B (SSN Canada webcast)

Sunday, Nov. 8
10:00 5th place: third place Pool A vs. third place Pool B
12:00 Bronze medal (SSN Canada webcast)
14:00 Championship final (SSN Canada webcast)