After a solid season, everything is on the line Saturday for the Bow Valley Grizzlies men’s rugby team.
The Grizz are hosting the Division 2 quarterfinals against the Foothills Lions Aug. 23 at the Mitford pitch. Kickoff is at noon.
Coming off a bye, the Grizz dropped their final regular-season game to the Banff Bears, 37-20. The win secured Banff top spot in the Division 2 standings and reclaimed the Grizzly Bear Cup, which Bow Valley had held for the past two seasons.
“It was a good match, tight at the half, and then the Bears pulled away a little bit in the second half,” said Grizz head coach Ty Hawes. “They played right to the end and showed some good rugby, scored some nice tries. Hopefully, it was a bit of an eye-opener for some of the lads and maybe we’ll get a chance at redemption down the road.”
The Grizz also lost their previous game to the Calgary Canucks, 35-23, after winning six of their first eight.
“We dropped off a little bit down the stretch, but the boys are pretty keen to get after their training, so we’ll see what it looks like tonight (Aug. 20) and we’ll go from there,” said Hawes.
It has been a tight race all season, with only five points separating first from seventh. The Grizz held top spot earlier in the season.
Hawes says other teams have targeted the Grizz, but he doesn’t see it as a negative.
“They’ll gear up for our games. They know we’re a strong club, and they bring everything they’ve got on the days they play us. It’s been a challenge for our boys, but it’s also been great for us to get highly competitive matches, so we’ll see how they go for the playoffs.”
In their regular-season meeting, the Grizz defeated the Lions 37-14 with a strong second half.