Women's rugby looking for hardware

The championship window for McMaster’s women’s rugby team has rarely been more open.

The No. 2 ranked Marauder squad is set to host the 2-3 Western Mustangs in the OUA semifinals on Oct. 19. Should they win, they’ll host the winner of the Guelph-Queen’s game.

Captain Cindy Nelles says the team is ready for the final stretch of the season.

“Our coaching staff and strength and conditioning staff have done a great job being ahead of the health trends,” said Nelles.

Mac did not play Western in the regular season, but the team expects a tough game regardless of the Mustangs’ middling record.

“They are a very fit team, they always have been. But our team has the fitness and the strength to go toe-to-toe with them. I think we have a better strength and conditioning program. In order to beat Western, we have to play our style of rugby,” said Nelles.

The ceiling for this team is as high as it has been for years. The squad only graduated two players last year and has maintained a solid core of third- and fourth-year athletes who have gone through a tough couple of years. McMaster was bounced in the OUA semifinals in the past two seasons.

Along with the continuity, Mac won a sevens tournament in March that helped increase the team’s on-field chemistry.

The CIS national tournament is a realistic possibility for the team. Beating Western puts Mac through to nationals, but getting to the OUA championship game is not the end goal.

“I have my eyes set on an OUA championship, and many of the girls also want to see that happen for us. We want to stick it to the OUA, we want to stick it to Guelph, we want to stick it to Queen’s,” said Nelles.

Expectations for the national tournament are high.

“I think this team has a strong contention to be in that CIS championship game,” said Nelles.

A bold statement from the Marauder captain, but understandable too. With a veteran-heavy roster and a convincing regular season, McMaster could be walking away from the 2014 season with multiple medals.