Rock outlast Wolf Pack in Calgary

The Atlantic Rock did just enough to hold off a late Prairie Wolf Pack comeback and earn their first victory of the 2017 Canadian Rugby Championship campaign. While the result is welcome, in actuality the match had a distinctly casual ambiance given that both sides will be meeting again on Saturday in a third-place decider, rendering Wednesday’s battle to little more than dress rehearsal status.

Contributing to the inconsequential tone was an agreement to allow open substitutes, with both teams naming extended reserve benches and several players returning to the pitch later in the match having been subbed off earlier. The Rock even dressed team physiotherapist Kevin Parfrey, a one-time Canadian test flanker, with the 36-year-old playing 25 minutes of the second half as a makeshift scrumhalf.

Nevertheless there were glimpses of decent rugby scattered among the mundane. Cooper Coats struck first for the Rock with a penalty goal but watched his opposite, Robbie Povey, go one better a few minutes later. The flyhalf took a flat ball from the scrum and a simple fend put him in under the sticks. Next it was Jake Bentley’s moment to shine as he burst onto an Adam Bontus offload to race 30 metres straight ahead to the line.

Coats and Povey exchanged penalties before the Rock got their first try of the day. A short ball from Jordon Power put Liam Carter through the line and the Charlottetown native found Brett Johnson on his inside for a well-earned score. Coats couldn’t quite convert but sent over his third goal of the day on the stroke of halftime to make it a three-point game in favor of the Wolf Pack.

The Rock came out the better of the two in the second half and after Connor Gilbert was binned for a late tackle it was Coats himself who took advantage of the overlap. A flowing counter-attack sparked by Johnson threatened to fizzle when a Riley Fahlman hit dislodged the ball but Charles DeBove picked up the scraps, straitened, and watched Coats do the rest for a thrilling try.

After struggling earlier in the match the Rock scrum began to find its groove. From a five metre scrum the Atlantic pack got nudge on, reinforced by international duo Jon Phelan and Conor Keys in the engine room. A fine bit of footwork to control the ball at the back by replacement No 8 Mike Hamson was rewarded with a try on the back of the tight five’s efforts.

The try of the day came with time winding down. Phelan pinched a lineout on his own 22 and Johnson took it out to the 10 metre line. Moe Abdelmonem wrestled his way over the gainline and Graham Barry spotted a gap on the post. His flailing pass bounced into Johnson’s hands and after scorching past one the fullback threw a miracle over-the-shoulder ball back inside to Jack McCarthy for the young winger to touch down beside the uprights.

Mozac Samson grabbed the first of two consolation scores for the Pack in the dying minutes, barging through a couple half-hearted tackle attempts to reach the line. Povey had the final say, showing to his outside and stepping back in and through to collect his second try of the day on full-time.

 

SCORING

WOLF PACK 29
Tries – R. Povey 2 (12’, 80’), J. Bentley (16’), M. Samson (78’)
Cons – R. Povey 3/4 (13’, 17’, 80’)
Pens – R. Povey 1/1 (34’)
Yellow cards – C. Gilbert (48’)

ROCK 33
Tries – B. Johnson (35’), C. Coats (52’), M. Hamson (64’), J. McCarthy (75’)
Cons – C. Coats 2/3 (53’, 76’)
Pens – C. Coats 3/4 (3’, 23’, 40’)
Yellow cards – A. Forrest (73’)

 

TEAMS

PRAIRIE WOLF PACK
1 Peter Houlihan (capt.), 2 Casey Reed, 3 Nick McAuley, 4 Riley Fahlman, 5 Conor Turner, 6 Connor Gilbert, 7 Wayde Hodgen, 8 Kyle Morrison, 9 Mark Discombe, 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Jake Bentley, 12 Adam Bontus, 13 Evan Thomas, 14 Brandon Baker, 15 Cam Hall

Replacements: 16 Robert Blunden, 17 Lalit Bharadwaj, 18 Ryan Kotlewski, 19 Hubert Buydens, 20 Lucas Albornoz, 21 Jake Robinson, 22 Carl Pocock, 23 Mozac Samson, 24 Gradyn Bowd

ATLANTIC ROCK
1 Evan Dickie, 2 Martial Lagain (capt.), 3 Jordon Power, 4 Lucas Hotton, 5 Brad Lester, 6 Liam Carter, 7 Moe Abdelmonem, 8 Carson O’Sullivan, 9 Graham Barry, 10 Cooper Coats, 11 Chris Browne, 12 Emil Sehic, 13 Colin Alexander, 14 Dan Lantos, 15 Brett Johnson

Replacements: 16 Owen Parfrey, 17 Alex Forrest, 18 Jake Chahwan, 19 Jon Phelan, 20 Conor Keys, 21 Adam Paul, 22 Charles DeBove, 23 Jack McCarthy, 24 Kevin Parfrey, 25 Mike Hamson, 26 Frank Walsh

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: David Smortchevsky
Assistants: Robin Kaluzniak & Kristina Wolfe