Boasting a high-scoring offence and a resolute defence, the Bow Valley Grizzlies men's rugby team is in the midst of an unbeaten season in the Calgary Rugby Union (CRU).
The Cochrane-based squad was in high spirits on July 22 after beating their local rivals, the Banff Bears, 33-5 at Mitford Park. The victory means the Grizzlies are still unbeaten, seven matches into the 2023 season, putting them at the top of the table in the CRU's recreational division.
The win maintains a dominant season – Bow Valley has outscored their opponents 358-46 thus far, meaning they've averaged more than 50 points per game while conceding an average of less than seven points per game.
“Each week, [the players] are getting that little bit better and…understanding the systems a little bit more,” said Ty Hawes, the Grizzlies' head coach. “They just keep putting the work in and the results are showing on the pitch. You can’t really ask for anything more than that.”
Last Saturday's victory was Bow Valley's second consecutive win over the Bears, after beating them 33-19 in Banff on July 15. Hawes said the Grizzlies learned from that game and were able to put together a more dominant formula a week later for the rematch in Cochrane.
“I think this game, we controlled the play a lot better and the boys were pretty happy about it in the end,” he said. “It was a good game.”
“The set pieces were dominated on the weekend by us. That made a huge difference to have a platform to attack from.”
Because of the similar names of the two teams, the CRU's games between Banff and Bow Valley are informally christened the 'Battle of the Bears.'
However, according to Hawes, there's more than just pride to play for when taking on the Bears, as the winning team of the overall season series between Bow Valley and Banff receives the Grizzly Bear Cup.
“Banff won it last year in the final game of the season, and we’re up on the season [this year],” he said.
While the 2023 regular season is winding down, Hawes noted there is one more Battle of the Bears on the Grizzlies' schedule before their playoff run gets underway later this summer. He said the two teams will square off at Mitford Park on Aug. 12, with kick-off slated for 12 p.m.
Before that, the Grizzlies will play against the Calgary Saints this Saturday (July 29) at the CRU Park in southeast Calgary, with that match-up taking place at 2 p.m.
Considering Bow Valley's dominance in 2023 to date, Hawes admitted he and his players are starting to think more seriously of their championship-winning intentions. Last year, the Cochranites fell – to the Bears – in the CRU's title game.
“It’s still a process,” he said. “You don’t want to get too far ahead of yourselves. You want to play each game and make sure the processes are down. If they are, then I think we’ll be successful. You definitely don’t want to look too far ahead. That will trip you up, for sure.”
For the Grizzlies' scores and schedule, see sportsmanager.ie/cake/rugby/calgary/league/181990/
