In the spirit of Homecoming, the men’s rugby team enjoyed a 62-7 romp over the Trent Excalibur on Saturday afternoon.

The 26th consecutive victory for the Gaels guaranteed them the no. 1 rank in the OUA and a bye through the first round of the playoffs.

The match’s scoring started early with a try from fly half Connor Jacques in the tenth minute, and carried on consistently from there—no more than 10 minutes passed between Queen’s tries.

The first stanza was closed out with a try from lock Trevor Helgason that brought Queen’s lead to 29-0 going into halftime.

Just four minutes into the second half, the scoring resumed when wing Cully Quirk ran a 15-yard try right through a defenseless Trent team, his second of the day.

Minutes later, Luke Engelbrecht made a 25-yard run, shaking off numerous Trent defenders to extend the Gaels’ lead even further.

Trent was able sneak in a try at minute 54, but any momentum was quickly quashed—four minutes later, Queen’s James Macdonald punched in his second try of the match, bringing the score to 48-7.

Two more tries by the Gaels went unanswered, earning the men a 62-7 victory, a suitable bookend to their dominant regular season.

The Homecoming victory wasn’t the only cause for celebration. Prior to the win, the men’s rugby team was congratulated by the Canadian Cancer Society for raising over $20,000 in support of breast cancer research through the CIBC Run for the Cure.

After their bye, the Gaels will scrum against the lowest remaining seed in the second round of the OUA playoffs, which represents an all-important step towards the coveted National Championship.