LONDON, ON – The Western Mustangs men's rugby team defeated the Trent Excalibur 36-17 on Saturday afternoon, overcoming an early deficit to take control in the second half.

Trent came out strong, scoring three tries in the opening 25 minutes to build an early lead. Western answered with a try around the 28-minute mark, cutting into Trent's advantage before halftime.

The Mustangs came out with a different level of intensity in the second half. #9 broke away for a try around the 42-minute mark, followed by another Western try around the 57-minute mark as the Mustangs continued to close the gap.

Western tied the game at 17-17 around the 59-minute mark before taking its first lead shortly after. The Mustangs added another try around the 64-minute mark to make it 24-17, followed by another score around the 68-minute mark that pushed the lead to 29-17.

Head coach said the team needed to find a different level after the opening half and credited the players for responding.

"I think they know and I know that they're just a better team than Trent," he said. "We didn't play that way in the first half. And we had a little conversation at half about that. They decided it was time to show them what we were."

Western continued to build its lead late, eventually finishing with a 36-17 victory. The Mustangs' second-half push included several tries and a key defensive stop early in the half that helped shift the momentum in their favour.

The coach identified that defensive stand as an important moment in the game.

"I think right at the beginning of the second half, we had a player come in and hold up a try," he said. "I think that was a turning point for us because had they got that, I think they get a little more courage, a little more momentum going forward."

The Mustangs will now look to carry that second-half performance into their next matchup.