The stakes in this return match between the Rouge et Or of Laval University and the Carabins of the University of Montreal which will take place on Saturday at CEPSUM are enormous. The winner will get the privilege of hosting the Dunsmore Cup at home, barring a huge upset.
At the top of the RSEQ with five wins and no defeats, the Rouge et Or can secure the regular season championship with a victory or defeat by one point. As for the Carabins (5-1), they will be champions if they win the last two games.
Well aware of the issues, the two coaches are playing it safe. “It’s an important match and we hope to gain home field advantage for the playoffs, but this match will not define our season,” summarized Reds head coach Glen Constantin. We are facing a very good team in a hostile environment. It’s a good challenge, but I like where we are.”
Marco Iadeluca agrees. “There are ranking issues, but the objective is to progress each week,” said the Blues pilot. We haven’t played 60 minutes often this season and that’s our main challenge.”
Last victory in 2018
To be crowned champion of the season on Saturday, the Rouge et Or will have to win in the den of the Blues for the first time since September 8, 2018, a victory of 12 to 7. The Blues are riding a streak of six victories consecutively at home.
“We have no demons to exorcise,” assured Constantin. We are going there to win a match and we will have to manage the emotions and the noise which represents the biggest challenge.
“It’s not on our minds, but we’re looking forward to winning there and we’re confident we can do it,” said receiver Isaac Gaillardetz. It’s not a distraction and we don’t talk about it constantly.”
Do the Carabins have a psychological advantage over their great rivals when the action takes place in Montreal? “I don’t know if it has an influence, but this group of Rouge et Or players have never won here,” recalled Iadeluca. We’re banking on a confident group at home and I like our team.”
Have the roles changed?
Reigning Vanier Cup champions and counting on a group of starters practically identical to that of 2023, the Blues were the big favorites when they showed up at PEPS on September 7 for the first face-to-face. The Rouge et Or won 23-22 thanks to a successful 53-yard field goal in the final seconds of the game and are off to their best start since 2018.
“I never said we were the favorites at the start of the season or the underdogs in the past,” Iadeluca said. These are things I leave to the media and the fans. It doesn’t matter what hat you wear, it doesn’t change anything on Saturday. These are two good formations and I have 100% confidence in our team.
“Scoring 22 points in Laval is nothing embarrassing, just like losing by one point on a 53-yard field goal,” continued Iadeluca. Despite a bad start, we have nothing to be ashamed of in this first match.”
For his part, Constantin likes the progress of his troop. “If we rely on the national ranking, the Carabins remain the favorites even if we beat them. We played a good match the first time, but we can be better. After our victory, I told the guys that we had 33 days to improve before our next test. I am happy with our progress. Our defense on the ground is more watertight and our young people on the tertiary line have gained experience.
Against an excellent defense, the Rouge et Or offense often struggled to score points in Montreal. Is Constantin’s troop better equipped this year?
“It’s no coincidence that we scored touchdowns in our first two series during the game at PEPS,” he said. It’s the fruit of work all winter. Changes have been made and a better understanding of Montreal’s defense helps us a lot.
