Preview: 2021 Subway AUS Women's Rugby Championships

(WOLFVILLE, N.S.) This Sunday afternoon, the Acadia Axewomen will host the defending champion StFX X-Women for the 2021 Subway AUS Rugby Championship, presented by Bell. 

This championship match-up is a familiar one, identical to the last 10 AUS rugby finals, and if history tells us anything, it’s that this is guaranteed to be an exciting battle.

It’s been a memorable season for the U SPORTS No. 3-seed Axewomen, who will look to extend their undefeated record and win their first AUS championship since 2015 on Sunday—in front of a home crowd, no less. Led by 2021 AUS Coach of the Year Matthew Durant, Acadia finished the 2021 regular-season 6-0, earning a bye to the conference final and outscoring their opponents 273-96.

The 21-time champion X-Women are vying to protect their title and win their fifth consecutive conference banner this weekend. They finished the regular season 3-3, outscoring their competition 265-144 and edged out the UPEI Panthers (3-3) for second place, with a better head-to-head point differential. In last weekend’s semifinal, the second-seed (and U SPORTS No.6-seed)  X-Women downed the third-seed Panthers at home by a score of 35-15. 

In their regular-season meetings this season, the Axewomen topped the X-Women by scores of 38-31 and 29-26. 

Sunday’s Subway AUS Rugby Championship will take place at Acadia University’s Raymond Field at 1 p.m. Fans can also stream the match at home via AUStv.ca.

Both finalists will earn a berth in the 2021 U SPORTS Rugby Championship, hosted by Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. The national championship will take place November 10-14, 2021.