Kelowna rugby fans were treated to some national-calibre action Saturday night at the Apple Bowl, as the 2014 Canadian Rugby Championship continued with the second installment of the six-game annual series.
Canadian international Gordon McRorie led the Prairie Wolf Pack (2-0) to their second straight victory over the B.C. Bears (0-2) with an inspired 20-point performance.
McRorie’s clinical effort saw the scrum half record a try, tacking on three conversions and adding three penalties. MrRorie’s only miss came from just inside the halfway line, striking the ball high off the left upright.
The Bears, meanwhile, had no answers to McRorie’s outburst, scoring on a lone Bryan Tyrer penalty in the 30-3 loss.
“We decided to play a lot more direct today, and I think we pressurized BC a fair bit,” said Wolfpack coach Graeme Moffat. “McRorie’s box kicking was excellent.”
The Wolfpack had opened up a 14 point lead at the break courtesy of tries from Shea O’Hallahan and Nick Blevins. The Wolfpack continued to push the Bears back in the second half, causing several turnovers and keeping the Bears on the back foot.
With the loss, the B.C. Bears will have little margin for error against the Ontario Blues and Atlantic Rock in upcoming fixtures.
“This is definitely a big wake up call,” said Bears back Sean Ferguson. “We can still turn it around, anything can happen. We have two weeks now to regroup and come up with the next four wins.”
In the opposite locker room, Moffat was happy that his team has put themselves in an excellent position to seize their first Canadian Rugby Championship trophy.
“We’re the only team that has not yet won the MacTier Cup and its driving the guys pretty hard,” said Moffat.
The Bears next face the Atlantic Rock from North Vancouver’s Klahanie Park on Sept. 4
