The premier men’s rugby team is back where it belongs after a one-year hiatus.
The 10th Ken Ann Cup appearance in 11 years for the St. Albert Rugby Football Club in the Alberta Cup north playoffs kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday against the Nor’Westers at Ellerslie Rugby Park.
The Nor’Westers, 10-1 as the defending Labatt’s Cup provincial champions, are winners of four in a row against SARFC by scores of 46-17 and 33-15 this year, and 57-26 and 51-3 last year.
The Nor’Westers are also the Prairie Division champs after defeating the Saskatoon Badgers 45-3 earlier this month for a berth in the four-team Canadian Club Championship during the Thanksgiving Day weekend in Klahanie, B.C.
“They’re a good club so it’s going to be a battle. They’ve been close games against them this season. It’s just going to depend on the weather conditions as to what’s really going to happen,” said Ryan Ackerman, the man of the match in Saturday’s north semifinal with three smashing tries as SARFC rolled over the visiting Strathcona Druids 34-12 in the snow and cold.
“With the weather conditions like this you’ve got to come out and play as hard as you can. It really doesn’t come down to skill, it comes down to grit,” added Ackerman, a mountain of a man at loosehead prop. “On cold and wet days like this it’s hard to move the ball across the field. You’ve got to dig down and get dirty so it’s a great day for forwards like me.”
The Nor’Westers slid past the Lep/Tigers (4-7) in Saturday’s 24-11 playoff stage under identical slushy conditions that SARFC and the Druids (5-6) soldiered through. The halftime score was 21-0 Nor’Westers.
“We knew with the weather conditions it was going to be a tight game. It was going to be basically a forward-based game, so we tried to reduce the mistakes and keep the game plan simple," said fullback Jordan Tait, noting the objective will remain the same for SARFC against the Nor’Westers. “We have to keep it tight and just stick to what we know and that’s doing the basics well and just backing ourselves.”
The Ken Ann Cup champion plays the Calgary Rams (12-1) or Calgary Hornets (8-5) in the Labatt’s Cup provincial final on Sept. 29 in Calgary.
SARFC’s three-year reign as provincial champions was terminated by the Druids in last year’s 23-15 semifinal.
Righting a wrong in the playoff rematch was extra special.
“This was a big win, especially from what I heard from the boys from last year losing at home in this game and especially to the same team,” said Tait, a huge addition to the first 15 SARFC lineup from Mission, B.C. “It kind of brings the team together. It’s just a real good confidence booster going into (the Ken Ann Cup final).”
The frostbite-like playing conditions took a toll on the ruggers.
“It’s cold. It’s hard on the hands. It’s hard on the body. Any impact, any time you touched the ground, it just hurts,” Tait said. “When you stop moving like scrum-time stuff, especially for the backs, it’s hard. You’ve got to keep the ball moving and make sure the blood is flowing.”
Ackerman thrived in the arctic blast of frigid weather.
“It’s awesome. It’s so much fun. I grew up on the Prairies. I’m from Saskatchewan,” said the Regina-born Ackerman, who spent seven years with the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club and received his first cap for Canada in 2017 against Romania. “I grew up playing on this stuff. These are always fun games. It comes down to pure determination and working as a team and we all did that in spades today.
“We had to stick together and work as a unit and not toss the ball around on 50/50s – just hang onto it and go forward.”
Ackerman’s three workmanlike tries in a 29-minute span in the second half turned a 15-7 advantage into the final result of the match.
“First time I’ve ever got three tries. Not a bad day in the office. Makes it worth it coming out on a cold and wet day like this,” said Ackerman, who subbed out to a hearty round of applause after his hat-trick score with about five minutes remaining.
Ackerman’s tries were sheer ferociousness and relentlessly driven no matter how many Druids he ran over or through to break the try line.
“I didn’t get those on my own. A lot of guys were backing me through those holes, so it was awesome,” said Ackerman, who looks like the kind of guy who opens beer bottles with his eye socket for fun.
Ackerman’s path of destruction into the try area started in the 52nd minute with brute force to plant the ball down while tangled up in a pile of bodies on a play that was set up by a mighty push forward.
The try made it 20-7 and was scored five minutes after hooker Robert Blunden finished off another powerful advancement by SARFC that had traction from the second of two lengthy runs by Tait into Druids' territory after the second-half kickoff.
Ackerman’s second try in the 68th minute was his longest scoring romp of the three as the raging bull gored several Druids en route to the try area.
The first of two conversions by outside-centre Joe Casella to pad the lead at 27-7 was greeted with an enthusiastic cheer by the Old Boys’ section on the SARFC deck.
Casella, a proud Welshman and first-year SARFC player, kicked for points in the second half after Tait handled the duties in the opening 40 minutes.
Leading up to Ackerman's last try, and SARFC in front 27-12, was heavy penetration into the heart of the defence by the SARFC newcomer, followed by the Casella to Matt Jarvis combination that almost produced a score. SARFC kept pressuring and Ackerman seized the moment with a thunderous charge with the ball held high and tight to the chest and the Druids bouncing off the Kyle Gilmour-esque block of granite.
After the score, Ackerman hoisted himself up onto his knees and with both hands tossed the ball high into the air in celebration.
“Having Ryan Ackerman busting through the line for three tries today is a big thing for him and it really boosts us going forward,” Tait said.
The first half started with a missed penalty kick by Tait from an angle past the 22-metre line in the fourth minute.
In the 13th minute, Blunden bowled through for the opening scoring after a quick penalty play by Duncan Maguire was stopped just short of the try line following a spirited pushback by the SARFC pack that pinned the Druids deep in their end.
The Druids also missed a penalty kick in the 28th minute from in tight of the touchline and outside the 22-metre line.
Seven minutes later, the Druids recorded a convert try as the team’s eight-man stuck his head into traffic for a vigorous stab at the try line.
With four minutes remaining in the half, scrumhalf Jake Robinson snowshoed his way into the try area off a lineout play to regain the lead at 10-7 and SARFC never looked back.
“There is going to be momentum shifters all game and it happened all game. A lot of them went in our favour and it was from hard work and some luck too,” said Ackerman, 33, one four players with the starting first 15 against the Druids who didn’t play in the previous weekend’s 35-32 loss to the Sherwood Park squad in St. Albert to end the Alberta Cup fixtures.
“It felt good coming together as a team like that today having everyone together and having finally a full roster,” said Tait, 26.
