Stingers 29, Vert et Or 7: Concordia men’s rugby gets crucial win against last place Sherbrooke

Stingers sit alone atop the RSEQ standings

SportsPeter Vryonis — Published October 10, 2021 2 minutes

The first place Concordia Stingers men’s rugby team were given a run for their money by the Sherbrooke Vert et Or yet still managed to secure a 29-7 victory. They ended up securing a bonus point in the standings after scoring five tries in the game. 

The match was much closer than the final score may indicate. Sherbrooke made it clear early that this would not be a free win as the Stingers were frustrated in the first hour of the game. 

“Those boys came to play, you gotta give them full credit,” said Stingers head coach John Lavery about the Vert et Or. 

Just three minutes into the game, Concordia’s Ben Laurin scored a try which was followed by a convert by the nearly automatic Arthur Du Chaffaut. This game had the makings of a rout but Sherbrooke managed to tie the score at 7 apiece after a try and a convert of their own. 

After 10 minutes of back and forth by both teams, the match began to slow down. The Vert et Or were more than content to slow the pace and frustrate the three-time defending RSEQ champions. “They definitely had a plan to disrupt our attack,” said Lavery.

19 minutes into the match, flanker Mohamed Almoallim scored his first try as a Stinger. “I’ll say it again, it was all team work,” said Almoallim. “Not gonna lie, feels good to get the try,” he added. This is the veteran’s fifth year in Concordia and third with the team.

Right before half-time, the Stingers thought they had a try, but it was called back as a result of a forward pass, leaving them with a 12-7 at the break.

“We have a lot of leaders on our team,” said Luca Milne of the Stingers who picked up a yellow card in the first half. The Dublin, Ireland native credited his teammates for not grinding out a tough match.

The lethargic pace continued well into the second half. The score remained 12-7 until the 58th minute when Concordia’s Tom Artmann scored a try. 

The Stingers had pretty much sealed victory but they needed a fourth try to secure a bonus point in the standings. That try came in the 76th minute courtesy of Jean-Christophe Vinette. It did not impact the outcome of the match but you could see the relief on the Concordian sideline. 

A try by substitute Joseph Corbisero in stoppage time put the game to rest. 29-7, Stingers. It was a much closer match than the score depicted. 

Concordia’s next contest is slated for Oct. 23 at the CEPSUM against Université de Montréal. It will be their final game of the regular season.