The Red Deer Titans men’s team is City finals bound after a resounding victory over the Calgary Canucks in the Calgary Rugby Union semi-final game at Titans Rugby Park last weekend.

“The guys played really well. Execution was the best I’ve seen all year, so the timing works out good coming into playoffs,” said Titans’ Head Coach Mike Berry after Saturday afternoon’s win, which saw the Titans romp to an 82-3 final score.

Right from the opening kick it was clear that the Titans were a team on a mission, as a huge run turned their first possession of the game into their first try.

“It’s always a nice way to start the game,” Berry laughed of the run, which kickstarted the Titans’ prolific offense.

“Even towards the end of the game they’d kick it off and we’d score after a couple of phases. We had a few silly penalties but for the most part we were in control of the game.”

The win was the culmination of a successful season for the Titans who, at 13-0, have not lost a single league game this year.

“The guys know for the most part what they’re doing. They listen well and the guys get along with one another, which is great. Everybody there is supporting the guy beside them,” Berry said, adding that that familiarity has paid off hugely on the pitch for the Red Deer team, especially in Saturday’s game against the Canucks.

“It was just execution. We had a game plan, we stuck to it and the guys executed it to a ‘T’. So obviously it worked. Now we’ve got to get back and get ready for the City final this coming Saturday,” Berry said.

Although the Titans have been the top team in the league so far this season, Berry said they won’t be taking anything for granted as they head into Saturday’s game against the Calgary Knights.

“We played them our very first game of the year. I know they were missing a few players because they were dealing with the Fort Mac fires. It’ll be a really good game because the only game they’ve lost to was us at the beginning of the year. So they’ll be quite strong and we’ll need to come out of the gate like we did this weekend.”

The Calgary Rugby Union 3rd Division City Finals between the Red Deer Titans and the Calgary Knights will take place this Saturday at noon at the Calgary Rugby Park. The winner of the game will advance to the provincial final against the champion from the Edmonton Rugby Union.

zcormier@reddeerexpress.com