(Quebec) Never has a decisive victory by the Rouge et Or rugby club sparked such controversy on social media. Laval University’s 102-0 win over McGill last Wednesday generated an avalanche of comments that team members are struggling to understand.
Several fans saw this as a “discomfort”, a lack of “respect” and sportsmanship. “Knowing how to win is part of the game,” reacted one Internet user to the club’s Facebook post. “I would be embarrassed if I were you…”
Involved in a sequence of three games in eight days, won with a total of 220 to 3 points, Laval nevertheless played several young recruits while being deprived of a few regulars against the worst team in the RSEQ.
Asked to comment on the backlash felt on social media, the head coach of the Canadian champions for the past two years, François Vachon-Marceau, was left speechless as he scrolled through the rain of comments that appeared under the said publication, which generated nearly 1,500 interactions.
“I don’t understand,” he responded, even though he doesn’t say he’s very active on social media. “I don’t know to what extent the people who commented have ever seen rugby in their lives or if they’re really interested in it. It’s not normal that this post was so popular. There are much more interesting things than this one in a year of rugby!”
The coach especially deplores the radio silence on these same platforms after the very close duel that took place between two of the best rugby clubs in Canada, Ottawa and Laval, on September 8, a match won 31-26 by the Gee-Gees.
“People had a hard time talking about it,” laments Vachon-Marceau. “And now we’re coming up with a game against the seventh team in the league, perhaps the least important game of the year, and that’s the one that’s getting people talking.”
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
François Vachon-Marceau, coach of the Rouge et Or women’s rugby team
Contrary to what the Internet users who blamed the Rouge et Or think, the Université Laval players never sought to humiliate their McGill rivals. They even claim that the opposite happened on the surface of Percival-Molson Stadium.
“There were no inappropriate gestures, on either side,” assures the coach. “The McGill girls worked until the end, they came close to our line a few times, in the second half, without being able to convert. They did not stop playing.”
A question of standards
Scrum-half Corinne Fréchette was “a little” discouraged when she heard the criticism after the resounding victory. The 23-year-old athlete puts things into perspective regarding what sometimes seems like a lack of parity in Quebec and Canadian university rugby.
The season calendar, she recalls, consists of only six matches.
“It took high standards to win two championships in a row, including three in the last four years,” continued Fréchette. “It also comes with convincing victories in which we had to find ways to improve. If we have to stop playing after a certain score, we won’t play much rugby!”
The product of the Vulkins of Cégep de Victoriaville would not see himself “running from one side of the field to the other” to run out the time.
“We would regress as a team,” she predicted. “We wouldn’t gain much in the change. For me, respecting your opponent means playing to the best of your abilities. If I had to lose by a high score, I would prefer that the team opposite be respectful and give everything they have rather than take pity on us.”
PHOTO CAROLINE GRÉGOIRE, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Corinne Frechette
Club captain Adèle Samson said she was “surprised” by the reactions, considering that the 117-0 victory against Sherbrooke two years ago had not been as divisive on social media.
“It’s a very respectful sport and winning 12-0 or 100-0 doesn’t make a difference,” she said. “It’s much more about the actions on the field. The celebrations after the tries and the game were sober. To stop playing or give the other team a chance, that would be disrespectful.”
A lack of knowledge about rugby?
Is the criticism of recent days due to a lack of knowledge of their sport? After all, rugby union requires that a team that concedes a try must take the kick-off, thus giving the ball back to the opponent, which makes turnovers even more difficult.
“If we did turnovers on purpose, everyone would start laughing and it would be an even greater lack of respect for the opponent,” the head coach explains to show the ridiculousness of the situation.
Despite the 13 departures compared to last year’s edition, including captain Laurence Chabot, the Rouge et Or (4-1) has maintained an impressive performance since the start of the 2024 season.
Younger, the Laval team has come to terms with the idea that it will not finish in first place in the season since the loss against Ottawa (5-0), but it is still aiming for the top honours, namely the RSEQ and Canadian titles.
“That’s what counts and that’s what we want to achieve,” says Corinne Fréchette, who was named the Rouge et Or’s team sports player of the year last year. “It’s achievable if we keep the same standards and the same attitude.”
So it’s impossible to take your foot off the gas!
Read the article on the daily’s website The Sun