BERKELEY, CA – California mounted a second-half surge but could not come all the way back Saturday against UBC on Witter Rugby Field, as the Bears fell 28-17 to the Thunderbirds in the first leg of the 2017 "World Cup" series.
UBC (9-2, 2-0 Premier) got two tries apiece from lock
Sam Clark and the winger
Manar Kulkhan, all four converted by
Adam McQueen. The inside center's only miss from the tee was a 51-meter penalty attempt that fell short in the 21st minute.
The Bears (11-1, 3-0 PAC) shut out the Thunderbirds in the final 40 minutes and got tries from Drew Gaffney and Fawzi Kawash following a first-half penalty kick from flyhalf Russell Webb.
Wind was a factor as it blew west to east at over 30 kilometres per hour, which assisted kicks at times but more often thwarted lineout throws.
UBC's veteran frontline of
Clint Lemkus,
Alex Mascotte and
Chris Taylor were a force that the Bears could not counter for large stretches of the match.
The two sides will meet in the second leg of Rugby's World Cup on March 5th at Thunderbird Stadium.
Scoring Summary
12:00 UBC (Sam Clark) 5, (Adam McQueen) 2
23:00 UBC (Manar Kulkan) 5, (Adam McQueen) 2
30:00 UBC (Sam Clark) 5, (Adam McQueen) 2
34:00 Russell Webb 3
39:00 UBC (Manar Kulkan) 5, (Adam McQueen) 2
Halftime Score: California 28, British Columbia 3
77:00 Drew Gaffney 5, Russell Webb 2
80:00 Fawzi Kawash 5, Russell Webb 2
Final Score: California 28, British Columbia 17
