If you’re going out, do it in style.
The Bow Valley Grizzlies closed down their final home game of the season with an 80-0 thumping of the Calgary Saints at Mitford Pond.
The Aug. 27 game was the second time this season in Calgary Rugby Union (CRU) Division Two action the Grizz backhanded the Saints, with their first encounter being a 61-0 win on Aug. 3.
While there could be danger going into a game against a side you know you’ve ripped apart, the home squad didn’t take anything for granted on a day ripe for rugby action.
“The boys had a great day,” said Grizz head coach Tyler Hawes. “Our entire backline and everyone else has been rolling on all fours.
“We’ve been crushing it.”
Nearing the playoffs, the Grizz have appeared to be peaking at the right time, outscoring their opponents 363-24 over the course of their last five games, currently holding an 8-2 record (42 points), good enough for second-place behind the Calgary Saracens (9-2, 47 points).
“Having that many shutouts in the last couple games has been huge,” said Grizz player Anthony Battistone. “Our defence has been key. They’ve been doing the simple things right.”
Since implementing their new structure after their month-long break in June, the Grizz have been almost unstoppable, and Battistone believes that’s down to the innovation of Hawes and the willingness of the club’s players to adapt.
“We have a new policy now of when we go into rucks and don’t try and steal the ball,” Battistone continued. “We force teams to make mistakes, and they’ve been giving up the ball.”
Another factor which has improved as the Grizz have plowed through the season has been their lack of taking penalties, something that was down to a several slips in discipline at the start of the campaign.
“That’s been important also,” Battistone went on. “Before we’d just take silly penalties and get behind, now, that’s changed.”
The Grizz next play their final game of the regular season against the Calgary Canucks (6-5, fourth-place) on Sept. 10.
It’s a game both Battistone and Hawes are chomping at the bit to see, considering the Canucks are only one of two sides to beat them this year.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Hawes said. “This is going to be a low week for us, but then we’ll being firing up after the long weekend.
“I’m expecting some solid play from the boys.”
Considering Hawes used to play for his team’s upcoming rivals, Battistone is also expecting a hard game as both sides always step up their play for these encounters.
“It’s always a nice little game between us,” he said. “Last time we played them we didn’t have our new structure going, so it’s going to be interesting.
“It’ll be the perfect end to the season because it’s going to be tough, which is exactly what we need going into the playoffs.”
Kick-off for the match is 1:00 p.m. at Calgary Rugby Park.
