BRFC men win third straight

The Banff Rugby Football Club men’s side is proving to the rest of the Calgary Rugby Union (CRU) that they will be contenders and not pretenders come playoff time.

The Banff men chalked up their third consecutive victory by downing the visiting Calgary Saints by a decisive margin of 31-8 on Saturday afternoon (July 12) at the Rec Grounds.

Scoring tries for the locals in the win were Steve Lower, Tim Waggott (two), Doyle Phillips and Martin Phillips.

The most recent victory propels Banff into a tie for second place in the CRU standings with the Calgary Canucks – a foe they will be paying a visit to this weekend.

Having not experienced defeat since

June 7, it would be an understatement to say Banff RFC head coach Blake Sporne is pleased with the performances displayed by his troops as of late.

“I’m really happy with the way the guys have been playing,” Sporne said. “We had our usual slow start in the first half, but we played brilliant rugby in the second half. The forwards dominated with brilliant scrums and aggressive work at the breakdown. Our tackling and constant pressure stopped them in their tracks, and whenever they had the ball, our attacking nature found gaps everywhere when they were in possession. The guys just played a really good game overall… I’m very pleased.”

While the men were rolling over the visitors, their female counterparts were forced to settle for a 5-5 tie with the first-place Saints’ ladies team – a substantial improvement from falling badly to the very same opponents in Calgary last month by a score of 28-0.

Scoring Banff’s lone try in the tie was flanker Jess Walden.

Despite several chances in the late stages of the contest, with countless missed breakaways, Sporne was proud of the women’s ability to match up against the league’s premiere club.

“To the girls, tying is just as good as a win right now,” he said. “They played brilliantly defensively and shut their (Saints) offence down all game. We showed great determination in keeping back a tough squad, holding off the team’s major scoring players with constant pressure and aggressive defense. It was a stellar performance against the top club.”

While the women (3-2-2) are off this weekend, the Banff RFC men (5-3) will go to battle on Saturday (July 19) with the Calgary Canucks (5-2) at Calgary Rugby Park.

“It’s going to be a challenge this week against the Canucks. It’s a big, big game for us,” Sporne said. “They are a very good side, but if we are not at the top of the league when it comes to skill we’re damn close to it.”