Under new head coach Steve Thomas, the Mustangs have their sights set on the OUA title Nov. 14 at Fletcher's Fields in Markham, Ont.

"Western is the home of intense rugby," Thomas said.

A number of additions to the coaching team have helped the Mustangs on their journey. Tommy Caldwell, a new fitness instructor who has rugby experience, worked with Western's full-time strength and conditioning coach Jeff Watson to help the Mustangs off-field.

Laurus Basson and Peter Alport work with the rookies, former head coach Tony Roes assists the backs in running plays, and Bruce Barrrett is the technical and analytical coach who puts in endless off-field work with game tapes and game plans. Gerry Slattery, Murray Bryant also work tirelessly behind the scenes organising and fundraising. 

Western had a record number tryout and as a result kept a record-high number of players - but decisions were not simple this year.

"The hard and most difficult time for any coach is to make the list of those lads to keep and those to let go," Thomas said. "The meetings after practices are sometimes long after a full day running the course and inputs from others aids but can also prolong the nights in the locker room making sure we have the right choices and we are all in agreement with selection.  "

Western went 8-0 and only failed to score two bonus points (for large margins of victory) this season. Road wins at Guelph, Queen's, RMC and McMaster have all been major achievements as two of these games were in Kingston on separate road trips.

The McMaster game, the final regular season contest, featured the league's last two undefeated teams - Western won 14-8 . 

In the season opener at Guelph, Thomas said the Gryphons were "a much improved unit which made us ask questions on our game and how we adapt in such games."

Home wins for Western over Laurier, Waterloo, Toronto and Brock showed Western's dominance on their own pitch. 

"The Homecoming game (against Toronto) was played in diabolical conditions and pretty rugby was never on the agenda," Thomas said. "This game was thought to be a one-sided affair; however, Toronto put up a huge fight and never gave up." 

The final regular season home game was against a usually strong Brock side and turned out to be a prequel to the Nov. 6 semifinal (1 p.m., at Western)

"We knew the Brock game was likely to be a forerunner of the semifinals, so the game plan was to start fast and hard from the off and pressure the opposition with relentless driving and rucking skills which paid dividends with a 55-16 win," Thomas added. 

"We have used record numbers in the first-team squad this year to give people the experience of high-pressure rugby, and several of the rookies have become an integral part of the team," Thomas said.

"The older guys have a huge desire to win the OUA championship and providing we can stay focused, free of injuries and keep the momentum all will be revealed  on Nov. 14, assuming we can win through the game next Saturday at Western Nov. 6." 

Thomas's Season Highlights: 

- Winning at Queen's on their unofficial Homecoming, an excellent game with some superb rugby being played

- Winning at home against Brock which for the spectator was an experience of how the game can be played - the pressure installed by Western that day would have seen most teams fold after 20 minutes

- The win at McMaster was also a true picture of the willingness this season to play hard, be patient and be disciplined even when under pressure. The example of how to soak up intense attacks and then turn this around and take the game to the opposition