VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds varsity men's rugby team will try to win games in two countries Saturday.
A squad of 24 players will travel to Berkeley, Calif., to face the California Golden Bears in the first leg of this year's World Cup competition. The match will be contested at 1 p.m. PT at Witter Rugby Field.
At 2:30 p.m. PT, another Thunderbirds squad will battle Westshore in BC Premier League action in Langford.
Photo by Wilson Wong/UBC Thunderbirds
UBC is looking to retain the World Cup, an annual two-game series against California, for the fifth straight year. The return leg will take place Sunday, March 4 at Thunderbird Stadium with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. In 2017, the T-Birds won 28-17 in Berkeley before officially clinching the cup with a 50-6 triumph in Vancouver.
This year, the Golden Bears head into the World Cup undefeated in 12 matches, including a 3-0 record in PAC Rugby Conference play. Cal beat Arizona 48-17 last Saturday and Arizona State 72-5 on Monday.
Photo by Ben Nelms
UBC is 12-3 (16-4 overall) with 60 points in the Premier League standings, just one point behind league leaders UBC Old Boys Ravens. Westshore lost 15-10 at home to the Ravens last weekend, and had a bye before that.
