Atlantic Rock earn favourable seed for season-ending Canadian Rugby Championship tourney

The St. John’s-based Atlantic Rock will be the top-ranked Eastern Canadian seed for the 2018 Canadian Rugby Championship senior men’s competition later this month in Calgary.

The Rock dropped a 22-9 decision to the Ontario Blues Tuesday night in Burlington., Ont., meaning the teams split their two games leading up to the CRC nationals starting Aug. 23 at Calgary Rugby Park.

The Rock had defeated the Blues 34-22 last weekend in Montreal in a game that stood as home contest for the Atlantic side, whose regular home field — the Swilers pitch in St. John’s — is undergoing wide-sweeping renovations.

Even though the Blues outscored the Rock 44-43 overall in the two games, it is the Atlantic side which will be seeded higher in Calgary since it had earned a bonus point for recording four tries in its win in Montreal.

That means the Rock will face the Prairie Wolf Pack in an Aug. 23 semifinal in Calgary while Ontario will take on the British Columbia Bears, the western top seed, on the same day.