Riders fans rejoice after Labour Day Classic win

Thousands of fans in green jerseys poured out of Mosaic Stadium in jubilation Sunday night.

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans were smiling and high-fiving in celebration of the CFL team’s thrilling 32-30 overtime win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2023 Labour Day Classic.

One Rider fan feeling good about the win was Natasha Labar.

“I didn’t think we were going to pull through at the end there, but we pulled through and it was amazing,” she said.

Labar said she appreciated the game’s energy.

“It’s great to beat Winnipeg. Hopefully we’ll do it again next year too,” Labar said.

Chris Tatlock took his mother Valerie to Sunday’s game. Chris said he enjoyed the game, but was a bit miffed by the officiating.

“It’s definitely good to win Labour Day. Everybody likes winning Labour Day,” Chris said.

“Oh yeah,” Valerie added. “It’s the only game I come to all year long, so I want to see us win.”

The game’s result was a disappointment for Bombers fan Gabriel Stevenson, but he said he still enjoyed the experience.

“It’s a close game — that’s what you can ask for on Labour Day,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson, who is from Winnipeg, said it was his first game at Mosaic Stadium.

“I can tell you it (won’t be) my last time,” he said. “Rider fans show up like they always do on Labour Day and the atmosphere was great. It was a great night.”

Stevenson said he also enjoyed the friendly banter with Riders fans during the game.

“It was like right down to the wire, really exciting,” Riders fan Dwight Hanslip said. “(It’s) nice to go for a win and see you next week in the Banjo Bowl.”

The teams are to meet Saturday in the rematch in Winnipeg.