In a season full of great promise and painful losses, it’s now time for the Banff Bears men’s rugby squad to buck up and prove they belong in the Calgary Rugby Union playoffs.
The Bears will fight for their playoff lives in their last home game of the year on Saturday (Aug. 23) at the Banff Rec Grounds against Airdrie before concluding their season in Red Deer on Aug. 30.
“We’re sitting in fifth with the next two games against Red Deer and Airdrie, they have to be won,” said Bears veteran Darrel Cranny. “Airdrie is a new team this year and this is their first tour. They’ll be coming out looking to put some points on the board, then party it up in Banff.”
One win out of fourth spot, one loss out of eighth spot, the race is tight between the mid-pack Tier 3 teams in the Calgary Rugby Union. Banff has a 5-6 record, and two wins should guarantee them a spot in the playoffs.
Although Banff handled Airdrie with ease early on, defeating them 51-0, the Airdrie squad has improved since then with a series of close games against strong opposition.
That being said, Cranny said the game is a must-win for Banff.
“Airdrie should be a win. Red Deer, there is no reason we shouldn’t win. It’s up to us,” Cranny said.
The Bears did themselves no favours on Friday (Aug. 15) when they fell 45-7 to the Bow Valley Grizzlies in Cochrane. The Grizzlies have gone undefeated this season, but Banff played them tight for the first half, matching power against Cochrane’s big bodies in the scrum, moving the ball quickly through the ruck and closing the gaps on defence.
The Bears escaped the half down 12-7, but had momentum after the Cochrane squad blew a pair of kicks to start the second. The Bears failed to capitalize, then let poor play and penalties pile up.
“We changed up guys in the second row, changed the front row and we got better. We held our own, but it’s hard when you play a well-drilled forward pack,” Cranny said.
The big Grizzly forward pack pummeled Banff, and their speed exploited Banff’s mistakes. The Grizzlies squad pounced, and by the final whistle had racked up the 45-7 score.
“It’s been the same all season, where we’ve played fantastic rugby for 20 minutes, then absolutely brutal rugby for 20 minutes. We spent the last 25 to 35 minutes on the back foot and gave it away with stupid penalties,” Cranny said. “The door was open, but we didn’t take advantage. Going into the game, we knew it was winnable and now, off the pitch, we know it was still winnable.”
Cranny called out the team for low-key practices and poor preparation heading into the big Cochrane match.
“Our preparations were lax, numbers at training were poor. It’s hard not having a coach. We’re making the best of it, but it’s something we’ll have to look at next season. Not having a coach is killing us,” Cranny said.
The team will also have to finish the season without Sinclair Matthews, one of their speedsters in the back. Matthews’ footwork has been instrumental to the Bears offence, but visa issues for the Newcastle native means he’ll be lost for the rest of the season.
“It’s been an awesome experience. I had not played a lot of union, just mostly league back home. I think I got tactically better as the season went on,” Matthews said.
He credits the Banff forward pack for his successful season, stating their hard work made his job easy.
Saturday’s game is tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Banff Rec Grounds.
