It goes without saying that the head of operations of the BMTC Tanguay group was still on cloud nine on Sunday, almost 24 hours after the Rouge et Or’s victory against the Laurier Golden Hawks in Kingston, Ontario.
“It’s as much stress and pleasure as I’ve had for all the Vanier Cups,” said Tanguay, who was lucky for the 12th time in 14 appearances in the final since the creation of the team in 1995 .
The president of the Rouge et Or says he is “very proud” of his team’s 12th victory. (Erick Labbé/Archives Le Soleil)
Very “proud”, the former president of the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL has barely turned the page on the 2024 season when he is already thinking about the next one.
The Laval University club will be looking for a 13th title in 30 years, not far from the magic number of 50%, or a championship every two years at the Canadian level. “We are well positioned,” he smiles. With our depth and our youth, we started on a streak [de victoires]. What has just happened is not an accident.”
“It’s an extremely young team that will continue to progress in the coming years.”
— Jacques Tanguay, president of the Rouge et Or football club
Bertrand predicted it
Jacques Tanguay is not at all surprised by the progress of the Laval football club over the past year. Internally, he was even treated to several warning signs of the Rouge et Or’s most recent conquest.
Appointed head of recruitment for the team in 2022, Mathieu Bertrand has not given up in recent months. “He is capable of evaluating talent and he has been telling me the same thing for two years,” confides the two-time Memorial Cup champion.
The head of recruitment for the Rouge et Or, Mathieu Bertrand. (Caroline Grégoire/Archives Le Soleil)
The latter considers “normal” the fact that several observers jumped to conclusions when seeing the domination of Carabins quarterback, Jonathan Sénécal, in his first three seasons in the RSEQ. The Blues pivot was up to par again this year, but…
“They are big rivals, but we knew from the start that we had a team to make it to the end,” he assures. We were well prepared, the room was extraordinary, with a lot of leadership, despite his young age. We had a lot of talent.”
Carabins quarterback Jonathan Sénécal. (Caroline Grégoire/Archives Le Soleil)
Hailing the contribution of the player of the match, kicker Felipe Forteza (six field goals, a Vanier Cup record), Jacques Tanguay cannot help but bow to the performance of the attack, from quarterback Arnaud Desjardins to ball carriers and pass catchers.
“The offense didn’t score a touchdown, but it gave us control of the ball for a majority of the game, keeping the Laurier offense on the bench the majority of the time, especially in the 4th quarter, analysis- he. For our kicker to be able to make six field goals, it’s because the offense put him in a good position several times!”
Desjardins, a big
The entire season of number 12 is worthy of mention in the book of the football fan, who won his first Vanier Cup almost 25 years ago to the day (November 27, 1999).
“We never had any doubt about the fact that he [Arnaud Desjardins] was going to lead the team like he did, said Tanguay. In the final, he was incredible on the pitch, he slowed the game down, with complete calm. He may not have the greatest career in professional football, but he will be an important figure in the Quebec community.
Arnaud Desjardins during the conquest of the Dunsmore Cup. (Caroline Grégoire/Archives Le Soleil)
Jacques Tanguay lacks superlatives in praising the merits of the Rouge et Or coaching staff, from the pilot, Glen Constantin, to the defensive coordinator, Marc Fortier, the “best that has existed for 20 years in Canada”, including the offensive coordinator, Justin Éthier, and offensive line coach, Carl Brennan.
These veterans of the team did not “take it by the handful” on Saturday, opting for an “effective” rather than “spectacular” style of play. All this to the great happiness of the president. “It might not have been the most electrifying game in history, but it was what was going to win us.”
Constantine here to stay
The head coach of the Rouge et Or of Laval University since 2000, Glen Constantin. (Heywood Yu/Canadian Press Archives)
At 59 years old, Glen Constantin is still very young, but he is still one of the oldest sports faces in the capital, with the recent departures of Patrick Roy, from the Remparts, and Michel Laplante, from the Capitales de Québec.
The most successful coach in Canadian university football does not seem to be on the verge of leaving the Rouge et Or, if we rely on the clear response from Jacques Tanguay. “Glen will continue with our program until he retires and he is not yet of retirement age!” he finishes with his frank and direct language.
An activity for supporters should be organized in the coming days.
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