Eastman Warriors blow by Wasps to reach finals

The Eastman Warriors avoided the upset in the Manitoba Rugby Premier Division semi-finals, taking down the Winnipeg Wasps 45-5 at A.D. Penner Park Sept. 7 to advance to the finals for the third consecutive year.

It was a chippy, tough game, but in the end, Eastman’s superior talent shone through, as the Wasps were win-less this season.

While the Warriors were a huge favourite entering the game, the Wasps put a strong fight, especially in the first half, keeping play to the middle where their forwards were able to find success. As the match wore on, Eastman’s backs were finally able to break through, with two tries that went nearly the length of the field.

“Sometimes in sports your opponent is the other teams, and other times your opponent is yourself,” coach Darian Brown said after the game.

“We talked about not playing the Wasps down at all. We knew we were going to get their best game, but we were actually our own opponents today as far as going out and playing our best rugby.”

Eastman, the defending Premier Division champions, have always had the strength of their team on the outside, with some of the fastest players in the league.

With first place locked up, the Warriors had the luxury of forfeiting a rescheduled game against the Manitoba Wombats on Sept. 2. If the match had been played, Eastman would have played three games in 10 days, with a semi-final match just five days later.

Even with the added rest, several players who should make appearances in the final were not in action in the semis, including mid-season pickup Napolioni Bolaca. Bolaca won a gold medal with the Fiji sevens team at the Tokyo Olympics.

Premier Division players must appear in three regular season games to be eligible to play in the post-season, so once the Warriors figured out they wouldn’t need the final game to get players eligible, Brown said it was an easy decision to not play the match.

“We also need to look out for ourselves,” he said.

“It was definitely the right call, I think, not to play. Why risk a knee injury to a key player in a game that doesn’t count?”

The victory gives Eastman their third consecutive appearance in the Premier Division final. The team also won the M-League (second division) championship in 2021.

“We went years with winning one game, no games, then you win,” Brown said.

“It was a stepping stone. You have to go there first before you get here.”

When the Warriors won the title last year, they became the first team based outside of Winnipeg to win the province’s top rugby division. While the last two years have seen Eastman take on the Manitoba Wombats, they’ll be playing a new opponent this year, as the Assassins Rugby Football Club won the league’s other semi-final 43-22.

Brown said the key for the Warriors will be playing clean rugby, and avoiding any discipline problems that have popped up in previous matches.

“If we play our rugby, I say we’re the team to beat,” he said.

“The Assassins are that good. If you fool around they’ll score on you. It’ll be a huge battle.”

While Eastman came out on top in every match the two team’s have played this season, the Assassins were able to take a 34-22 lead into the half-time break in their final match of the season.

The Warriors should be in good form, as the team won a bronze medal at a high-profile sevens tournament in B.C. earlier this month.

The final will take place at the Maple Grove Rugby park Sept. 21.