Ontario Women's League Playoff Preview

July 28, 2017

Ontario Women's League: Playoffs kick off July 29; Photo Credit to Guelph Sports Journal

OWL Playoff Preview

This weekend marks the beginning of the Ontario Women’s League playoffs. There are sure to be some exciting matchups going into Round 1 this Saturday.

On Saturday, July 29, the playoffs begin with Round 1 action. There will be two games on the schedule, with the Niagara Wasps, Waterloo County, Toronto Scottish and Guelph Redcoats all in action. The Toronto Saracens and Aurora Barbarians will receive byes into the second round of action after finishing first and second respectively.

Though the Barbarians and Saracens secured a bye into the second round, both the Toronto Scottish and the Niagara Wasps had identical 6-2 records, matching the Barbarians’ results. Aurora receives the bye and a second-place finish based on a higher point differential.

For full 2017 season standings, click HERE.

Niagara Wasps (4) vs. Waterloo County (5) – 1:00pm ET in Niagara

Though Niagara is only one spot above Waterloo in the standings, the story of these two clubs couldn’t be more different. Niagara had a winning season, with a record of 6-2, while Waterloo County finishes the 2017 season with a 3-5 record.

The Wasps are coming off a tough end to their schedule, playing the Aurora Barbarians (2) and the Toronto Saracens (1). They lost their match against the Saracens, but finished strong, upsetting the Aurora Barbarians in their final game last weekend and handing the Barbs their second loss of the season. Niagara seems to be the favourite in this one, but the first time these teams met, Waterloo almost snuck away with a win. The Wasps need to continue their momentum from their final game of the season to defeat a team who has had recent success.

Waterloo County turned things around in the second half of the season, recording their three wins in Game 5, 7 and 8. Waterloo County has played the Wasps two times this season, losing both contests. The first match was close, as the Wasps narrowly defeated Waterloo County 19-14. The second and most recent match was a different story, as Niagara won the match by 30 points (50-20). Waterloo County looks to take their recent successes into their playoff game and upset the surging Niagara side.

The winner of this playoff match will go on to play the Toronto Saracens on August 12, 2017.

Toronto Scottish (3) vs. Guelph Redcoats (6) – 1:00pm ET at Fletcher’s Fields (Markham)

The Scottish and Redcoats meet in the first round of the OWL playoffs. The Toronto Scottish have the most to lose in this one, coming off a strong 6-2 season. The Guelph Redcoats come in as underdogs, having won only two games in the 2017 season.

The Toronto Scottish just missed out on second place and a bye in the first round, having identical records with both the second-place Aurora Barbarians and fourth-place Niagara Wasps. They met the Redcoats in their last game of the season, coming away with a definitive 59-21 win this past Tuesday. Their only two losses came against the Toronto Saracens (1) and the Aurora Barbarians (2).

The Redcoats had a tough schedule, having to meet the Saracens (1) twice. Guelph won their only two games to the lower seeded Markham Irish and Yeomen Lions. They look to surprise the Scottish in this one, coming in as underdogs against a strong third place team.

The winner of this playoff match will go on to play the Aurora Barbarians on August 12, 2017.

A full Ontario Women’s League Playoff Schedule can be found HERE.

OWL 2 Playoffs

It was a similar story in the OWL 2nds division, as Aurora (1) and the Saracens (2) came out on the top of the table. The league standings are quite close for these teams, as only twelve points separate the first-place and last-place teams.

The first-place Aurora Barbarians will meet the Toronto Scottish. The winner of this match will receive a bye in the second round.

The third-place Niagara Wasps will go to battle against Waterloo County. The winner of this match will go on to play the Toronto Saracens, who receive a first round bye.

A full Ontario Women’s 2nds Playoff Schedule can be found HERE.

Intermediate Cup

The Intermediate Cup kicks off on Saturday as well, as both the Markham Irish and the Yeomen Lions will fight to stay in the Ontario Women’s League for the 2018 season. They will be playing top teams from both the Niagara Rugby Union and Toronto Rugby Union. The first game of the Intermediate Cup will be tomorrow between the Yeomen Lions and Markham Irish.

A full Intermediate Schedule can be found HERE.

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To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/