The Ridge Meadows Bruins men’s rugby team lost to the Meralomas 22-17 in the first round of the third division playoffs.
The Bruins came out strong and touched down for a try in the opening minutes of the game, immediately putting pressure onto their Vancouver rivals.
The Meralomas were able to come back from a first half deficit with a well-structured second half that took advantage of any Bruin mistakes.
The Bruins ran the ball well and played to their strengths, but at the end of the game the penalty count against them was simply too high to overlook.
“It was a really tough loss for us, and made even worse by the fact that we’ll be losing one of our most recognized players, Joshua Ladd, as he heads overseas to travel,” said club spokesman Paul Stanfield. “It was a hard loss to accept, especially considering how well we played in the first half.”
He added that the first 40 minutes may have been the best rugby the Bruins have ever played as a team, which only makes the last 40 so difficult to accept.