Vancouver - The UBC Thunderbirds came up clutch when it mattered most in defeating the University of California Golden Bears 31-8 in Sunday's second leg to win the total score series 52-44 and capture a seventh straight World Cup title at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
Sunday's match marked the 99
th year of the great cross border competition and the long standing tradition wasn't lost on the T-Birds who came into the rematch needing to overcome a 15-point deficit on aggregate after dropping game one of the home-and-home series 36-21 in California last Saturday.
"I'm very pleased," said UBC head coach
Curry Hitchborn post match. "To be able to come back up here and write the wrongs from our loss last week in California means the world to our guys and we're very pleased with it. Cal needs to be taken seriously at all times, their entire staff run an outstanding program so no matter what you think you know, you always know you are in for it. It was a good week of training with some uncomfortable conversations around what the expectation was and the guys delivered on what they said they were going to do and I couldn't be more proud of them.
It didn't take long for the T-Birds to strike and whip the packed home crowd into a frenzy as hook
Connor Sampson found a lane to the end zone to open the scoring just 1:31 into the contest, while outside half
Tighe Maxwell-Whiteley made the conversion for the hosts up 7-0. Six minutes later the 'Birds added to their lead, thanks again to the boot of Maxwell-Whiteley converting a penalty kick from 25 yards out to go ahead 10-0.
Moments later Cal responded with a couple scores of their own beginning with fly half Ken Kurihara converting a penalty kick followed by wing Nick Bloom adding the Bears first try, while the conversion was missed to pull within two points at 10-8.
Ahead of halftime UBC would answer back after some good cross field build up resulted in stubborn battle at the goal line before prop
Conor O'Flaherty punched it over the line and with another conversion from Maxwell-Whiteley the T-Birds were ahead 17-8 heading into the break.
After a back and forth battle for field position to open the early stages of the second half it was the T-Birds who finally broke free as the sizable
Nick Allen rumbled his 6 foot 4, 230-pound frame across the goal line. A penalty was called on the play and as a result the automatic conversion was awarded to put UBC ahead 24-8 in the 56
th minute.
13 minutes later the 'Birds imposed their will once again in Bears territory, UBC gained possession off the line out and hook Dave Carson powered in for the score. Maxwell-Whiteley's conversion would be the final points of the afternoon giving the hosts a comfortable 31-8 advantage before cruising to the final whistle with the title well in their sights.
When Hitchborn was asked what the overall difference on the day was the coach paused for a few moments before giving a very succinct answer.
"We were just better when we needed to be."
That along with a disciplined effort allowed the T-Birds to extend their World Cup winning streak to seven straight seasons while sending the home crowd home happy.
The T-Birds will marinate in this victory for a couple of weeks before resuming their premier league regular season with another momentous match on Saturday, March 14 when they host the rival Victoria Vikes at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
