The University of Laval Rouge et Or won the 2023 Canadian USport Women’s Rugby Championship on Sunday. In the championship final, the Rouge et Or defeated the University of Victoria Vikes 32-13 from Quebec City, Quebec.
The Rouge et Or scored four tries in the championship game. The players who scored were Cecile Leclerc of Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Quebec, Laurence Chabot of Victoriaville, Quebec, Alice Theberge of Montreal, Quebec, and Corinne Frechette of Quebec City, Quebec. Laval was trailing Victoria 13-12 at the half before outscoring the Vikes 20-0 in the second 40 minutes.
Fechette was named the tournament most valuable player. The Rouge et Or began the national championship with a narrow 7-5 win over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds on Friday in the quarterfinals, and then beat the University of Queen’s Golden Gaels 10-8 in the semifinals. The Rouge et Or player who scored the semifinal try was Maude Chabot of Victoriaville.
This was the third national championship in women’s rugby for the Rouge et Or. They previously won in 2019 and 2022. In 2019, the Rouge et Or beat the Golden Gaels 22-14 in the championship final in Ottawa, Ontario, and in 2022, the Rouge et Or beat the Golden Gaels again. This time in Victoria, British Columbia with the score 22-5 in the final.
