VANCOUVER - The UBC Thunderbirds men's rugby team dominated the visiting Cal Golden Bears with a 50-6 victory on Saturday afternoon at Thunderbird Stadium. The match concluded the final leg of the classic Rugby's World Cup series, and secured UBC's second consecutive World Cup win.
Sturdy defence, powerhouse offence and a brilliant second half helped propel UBC to their second highest single-game point total this season. Standout performances from
Adam McQueen and
Theo Sauder, who finished with three tries and a conversion, were highlights of the afternoon match.
Sauder acknowledged his talented teammates and a supportive, hometown crowd as reasons for his success on Saturday.
"It's nice to get out with the boys and have a good runaround. We started of slow, but we picked it up in the second half," noted Sauder. "We all worked together and moved the ball well. It's [also] nice to get your friends and family out to the game."
UBC forwards coach Curry Hitchborn appreciated the depth of skill his Thunderbirds team possesses, as well as the opportunity to coach in such a classic UBC series.
"It's outstanding. The tradition and the legacy behind [the World Cup series]. For us coaches…it's certainly an experience to test yourself against other international coaches," said Hitchborn. "We've had a very great weekend for our program. Our guys came out today, full credit to every single person out there."
UBC secured a 19-6 lead heading into halftime thanks to three tries and a pair of successful conversions from
Adam McQueen.
Sauder bolted down the middle of the field to carry in his second try of the opening 10-minutes. A second successful conversion from the red-hot McQueen gave the Thunderbirds a comfortable 14-3 lead. In the 35th minute,
Niko Clironomos took advantage of a narrow gap at the edge of the field and darted in UBC's third try.
UBC fullback
Andrew Coe secured the first try of the second half, while another successful McQueen conversion lifted the T-Birds to a commanding 20-point lead. Cal was unable to generate much momentum during the second half, with UBC denying all attempts at a try. UBC capped of the match with a flurry of late-game tries from Sean Duke,
Elias Ergas and Sauder.
UBC, who have not lost a match since October 1, will have a two-week rest before embarking on the final portion of their 2016-17 season.
