The UBC Thunderbirds will look to build on a season-opening victory as they host the University of Alberta Pandas for the long-awaited home opener at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre on Thursday afternoon, September 23^rd.


 
Florence Symonds was named Canada West Rugby Player of the Week following an impactful two-try performance that helped lift the defending champion T-Birds to a 35-15 victory over Victoria to begin their 2021 campaign.
 

?? Canada West Rugby Player of the Week

Florence Symonds (@ubctbirds)
1st Year Centre

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— Canada West (@CanadaWest) September 21, 2021

"I was extremely pleased with the patience and composure we showed," said UBC head coach Dean Murten after the Thunderbirds' resilient season debut. "UVic was tough to break down and we stuck to the plan well. Once the game started to open up a bit, we played the way we want to play.  I was very happy with the way we defended, UVic has some very strong ball carriers and we stopped them well – when UVic did break our line I was very happy with the energy and effort we put in to prevent them from scoring."


 
Murten is looking forward to the return to Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre after nearly two years without Canada West action on home field.
 
"We're very excited to play in front of our supporters, donors, alumni and families, that have supported us through the pandemic," added Murten. "Alberta will be up for the game and coming off a defeat against Lethbridge will motivate them to have a big performance.  We need to weather the storm and stick to the way we want to play."
 
Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. (PST) with live streaming available on Canada West TV.