Notes
Bring on the Canucks.
The Banff Bears are through to the Calgary Rugby Union semifinals following a 41-22 drubbing of the Calgary Rams on Saturday (Sept. 13) at the Banff Rec Grounds.
The local Division 3 men’s squad will now take on the Calgary Canucks for a shot at the finals at the CRU field in southeast Calgary, Saturday (Sept. 20) at noon.
Harry Morrow was the offensive star on Saturday, but team defence was again the key to victory over the Rams. According to Darrel Cranny, if the defence holds, it can take the team all the way to a provincial title.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been doing all season. Our defence has been phenomenal all season. It’s never let us down. When we’re under pressure, the boys step up. (This week) the defensive play will have to come in again,” Cranny said.
Except for a handful of hiccups, the forward pack played excellent rugby against the Rams, while the backs were able to utilize their speed at will against the Calgary team. Even when the Bears were down to 12 men due to injuries, the defence prevailed.
“For the most part, we kept them shut down,” Cranny said. “It always comes down to our defensive line being really strong.”
The 7-6 Bears are confident they’ve got momentum on their side, having won four of their last five games. But the Canucks will be their biggest test to date.
The Canucks finished the season with a 12-1 record and beat Banff in both of their matchups this season, manhandling the Bears 46-19 in June.
When they met again in Calgary, the Canucks edged out a 32-24 win. Banff can argue they’re a different team in September, though, having evolved their offence in the past two months.
Cranny said the Bears are a hungrier team and able to play clean rugby.
“We plan on going all the way to provincials. Let’s try and make them happen,” Cranny said.
