The Bow Valley Grizzlies have become the first team to raise the newly created Country Cup in Division 2 men's rugby—and now face the challenge of trying to keep it.
On July 19, the Grizzlies overpowered the Foothills Lions in the second half en route to a 37-14 victory.
Grizzlies head coach Ty Hawes said the Lions came out strong and shut down Bow Valley’s passing game until a late first-half try gave his side a narrow lead.
"And then the guys just kind of stuck to their guns and we broke them in that second half," said Hawes. "We started getting past their defensive line and put some points on the board. It was pretty exciting to watch."
Bow Valley ran in four tries in the second half—three of them in quick succession—to turn the match in their favour.
The Country Cup is a new addition meant to add fuel to matchups between teams based outside Calgary.
"It was an idea that the Lions and the Griz came up with, and this was the first match," explained Hawes. "It's going to be exciting to see how it develops and how the other country teams take it."
Bow Valley holds on to the cup as long as they can fend off Lethbridge, Okotoks, Red Deer and Banff in future games. If the Grizz lose to any of them, the winner takes home the cup and faces the same challenge of trying to hold on to it.
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Bow Valley will hold on to the cup as long as they can fend off Lethbridge, Okotoks, Red Deer and Banff in future matches. If the Grizz lose to any of those teams, the winner claims the cup and faces the same challenge of defending it.
Alongside the league championship, the Country Cup is the second cup challenge of the season. Bow Valley also currently holds the Grizzly Bear Cup, a rivalry trophy between the Grizzlies and Banff. This year’s Grizzly Bear Cup match—the final game of the regular season—will be played in Banff.
The Grizz head into this weekend's match on top of the league with a 6-2 record.
This Saturday, July 26, they host the Calgary Canucks at the Mitford pitch at 1 p.m.
