McGill athletic cuts set to affect Concordia competition
The controversial move eliminates 25 varsity and club teams across 15 sports
The McGill University women’s rugby team will not return to the field for competition in the 2026-27 season after sweeping cuts eliminated 25 club and varsity teams in a surprising and dramatic move.
A statement from McGill Athletics cited a 2024 internal audit and a 2025 external review as driving factors behind the decision. Budget constraints and limited facility space were listed as the primary reasons. Other eliminated sports include track and field, badminton, baseball, golf, tennis and men’s volleyball.
The decision shocked players, coaches and fans as women’s rugby continues to grow in popularity across Canada. The cuts come despite the Canadian women’s national team taking home second place at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
The decision removes one of the eight Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) teams, tightening the race for playoff positions in the conference. It also ends McGill’s long-running rivalry with Concordia University in the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup, contested since 2005 in honor of former Concordia Stinger Kelly-Anne Drummond, who was murdered in 2004.
McGill began competition in women’s rugby in 1977 and joined the modern iteration of the RSEQ in 1989. The team won the inaugural conference title in 1990 and went on to claim 10 championships in total, including an RSEQ-record seven in a row between 1998 and 2005. Its best national finish was a silver medal at the 2000 championship.
Men’s rugby will continue competition in 2026-27, alongside hockey, basketball, soccer and football. McGill’s flag football team will also kick off its RSEQ competition in 2026 after several years seeking varsity status.
A GoFundMe campaign launched by former McGill player Briana Yerbury has raised $56,738, 76 per cent of the $75,000 goal required to organize and support a competitive varsity program.
Concordia held a 19-7-1 record in women’s rugby games versus McGill, including a 12-4 advantage in the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup. The Stingers have also faced the Université de Montréal and the Université de Sherbrooke in the Cup, leaving open the potential for the tradition to continue.
This article originally appeared in Volume 46, Issue 7, published January 13, 2026.
