The UBC Thunderbirds (1-1) host the rival University of Victoria Vikes (0-2) in the first leg of the coveted Wightman Boot on Saturday, October 16
th, at 2:30 p.m. (PST) at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
UBC opened their season with a 34-13 victory over the Trinity Western Spartans on September 25
th and will be aiming to keep possesion of the Boot from the Vikes on home field after a lengthy layoff from the hotly contested rivalry.
"They won in our last head to head meeting and that's a strong motivator," said UBC head coach
Curry Hitchborn. "A winning UVic team makes a winning UBC team - it's quality competition and we all know how these games go. They're solid, well coached, and desperate like we are for what will be a fantastic clash. We respect them as a team and are as grateful as they are for this opportunity. It's been too long."
Hitchborn is looking for his team to take full advantage of the opportunity to progress as a team against a solid opponent, and use the match as a measuring stick.
"We're steadily improving. The Coastal Cup season has benefited us, much like UVic, similar opportunities to identify important things to work on moving forward. We've been working where we need to, and Saturday will be a great indicator of where we are – for both squads."
