Player availability could factor in playoffs for Banff rugby team

BANFF – The scale of the mountain the Banff rugby men’s team is trying to climb as the playoffs approach is going to be quite high, but so far, it’s been a season of defying odds. 

After a dizzying 1-5 record in a 10-game season, the Banff Bears turned things around and clawed their path to the playoffs.

The local 15s club qualified for the postseason last Saturday (Aug. 17) when they knocked off the Foothills Lions in Okotoks 20-10, and an L on the Red Deer Titans side secured the eighth seed and final playoff spot for the Banff boys.

“It didn’t really seem too likely, but yes, the goal was always just to get out there and play some good rugby and have some fun,” said Bears coach Andrew Mitchell. “Playoffs are great, but, you know, it’s more just about playing the game.”

The young Bears were fighting through growing pains in the first half of 2024, being outscored 222-93 after six matches. However, the team found their game in the final push, going 3-1, outscoring opponents 87-76, and snagging their first two-game winning streak of the season.

As the season progressed, the relatively new Bears team came into their own element and gelled together on the pitch.

Bears captain Matthew Soukas said the team had to rethink its approach and start going about things game-by-game instead of looking down the line, to get back on track.

“We’ve had our backs against the wall all season,” said Soukas. “As a team, we’ve come together and we’ve kind of learned to not only realize that, but kind of enjoy being the quote and quote 'lower ranked team’ in the majority of our games and we like kind of hunting down those bigger teams.”

One of the Bears’ final four games, the loss, was against their first round match up and the top-ranked Calgary Saints. Saturday (Aug. 24) at noon at the Calgary Rugby Union (CRU) fields is when the two squads meet again in a do-or-die game.

During the July 27th home match against the Saints, the local squad showed signs of past years brilliance and led at halftime, but they were unable to stop the pressing opponents and ultimately lost 28-7.

Soukas thinks if that game is anything to go off of, the Bears are gonna put in a strong effort against the top-ranked Saints.

The captain said he isn’t paying attention to the end-of-the-season rankings, and he likes the Bears chances Saturday.

“I think we kinda put them on notice a bit and brought them back down to Earth,” said Soukas. “I don’t think they’ll be excited to be playing us, to be honest.”

In the two clubs’ only meeting of the season, Mitchell said the difference in the match was the bench and the Bears “didn’t have much of one.”

Roster depth could also hurt the Bears again.

As the end of summer approaches, some players are returning to school or looking to get time off from jobs in the mountain resort, among other reasons. Mitchell said it’s gonna be “touch and go” over the week to see who can lace up in Calgary.

“We probably won’t know for a couple of days to see who can get off work and who is available, which is a bit unfortunate,” said Mitchell.

The last time the Bears competed in the postseason was in 2022 when the club won the southern Alberta championship.