Two-thirds of the way through the season, the Bow Valley Grizzlies find themselves in the middle of the pack in the premier Alberta Cup rugby and are currently in contention for a playoff spot.

Heading into the Labour Day Weekend break, the Griz are 4-4 in their first year in the division. There are four games left in the regular season and three of them are against teams they lost to in their first encounter.

"We have a playoff spot at the moment so we'll see how it ends up," says Head Coach Tyler Hawes. "It's been good competition for the boys. I think they're learning lots and we're taking steps forward every week so that's a bonus. As long we can do that I think we'll be in not too bad of shape."

The Griz are on a three-game losing streak with lopsided losses to the league-leading Rams, second place Canucks and Hornets. They've been struggling with injuries, including two serious ones.

"We've definitely been hampered by some injuries," says Hawes. "We've probably had a dozen injuries or so and then it's that time of year when guys take holidays, so we'll see. Hopefully, after the Long Weekend, we'll start to get a lot of guys back and make a push to the end of the season."

There will be a lot of action here in town starting this month. The Griz are at home for the balance of the regular season and that's good news for local rugby fans. All but one of their games have been on the road so far this season and their only match here was against the Irish early in the season. That ended up being an exhibition match after the Irish forfeited.

The Griz take on the Saints, Aug. 11 at 3 p.m. at Mitford Park. It's a team they beat earlier in the season, 43-30.

The Griz are the first new team since the division-leading Rams returned to the premier league in 2016. That club is one of the oldest in Calgary and was founded in 1959.

Tier 2 Griz

Forming an Alberta Cup team means the previous Div. 3 Barbarians are now the core of the Div. 2 Griz.

They currently sit in seventh in a nine-team division with a 3-5 record and are in striking range to climb in the standings.

"It's been a step up for everybody. It might take a little bit of getting used to, but that's why we did it, to get better."

They, too, will be finishing the regular season at home. They host the Saints on Aug. 11 at 4:30 p.m., and in weeks following host Saracens, Canucks and Hornets.