Glen Constantin draws a parallel between the 1999 edition of the Laval University Rouge et Or, which caused a huge upset by winning the first Vanier Cup in its history, and the Regina Rams, who qualified for the playoffs in the last game of the regular schedule before signing two victories on the road to slip into the final four of U Sports.
Answering the question “How will his team prepare for the idea of coming up against a team that is neglected and has nothing to lose?”, the head coach of the Rouge et Or compared the two editions.
“The Rams remind me of our 1999 edition,” he said. We caused a surprise by beating Ottawa in the Dunmsore Cup before defeating the Saskatchewan Huskies, who were the team of the 1990s in the Canadian semi-final, and finally beating Saint Mary’s in the Vanier Cup.
“Like us, the Rams are playing their best football of the season at the right time,” adds the Laval pilot. They learned to win and we see a good difference since the last quarter of the last game of the season against Alberta. The players are very energetic and the credit goes to the coaches who manage to extract every last ounce of energy from the athletes.”
The Rams have always believed in their means
After two wins to start the season, the Rams suffered five straight losses and were on the verge of being out of the playoffs before falling behind 22-4 in the final game of the season against the Golden Bears of Alberta to conclude in 4e place. They scored 25 unanswered points in a 29-22 win.
In hostile territory, they eliminated the Manitoba Bisons, who were the favorites to come out of the West, and the Saskatchewan Huskies.
“Despite our losing streak, we never lost confidence in our abilities,” said head coach Mark McConkey, receiver with the Rams from 2008 to 2013. Despite four defeats by a margin of at least nine points, we was improving and we knew we could compete with everyone in our conference. All we wanted was to get a chance to make the playoffs and start a winning streak. We are the road warriors.”
Flowers for the Rouge et Or
McConkey is complimentary of his upcoming opponents. “We are facing the best team of the last two decades,” he said. I have seen Laval play often on television. It’s scary to hear that Laval is banking on a young team. They’re athletic, big, long and play their systems well.”
“Against the big red machine, we are not the favorites,” continues McConkey, who took the reins of the team in 2020 on an interim basis before being confirmed in his functions in 2022. But it is another opportunity to prove to everyone that they are wrong.”
The Rams finished the regular season with a record of three wins and five losses. This is the first time that a Western Conference team has won the Hardy Cup after posting a deficit in the regular season.
A clash in 2002
The Rouge et Or and the Rams crossed swords in 2002 at PEPS in a pre-season match. Taking advantage of a bye week after a 26-24 defeat against the Saint Mary’s Huskies, the Rouge et Or invited the Rams, who also benefited from a bye.
The locals won by a score of 33-14 against the Rams, who notably relied on kicker Jon Ryan who had a great career in the NFL. “Times are changing,” said offensive coordinator Justin Éthier. At the time, we felt it was better to play a match rather than give players time off.”
