VANCOUVER – The UBC Thunderbirds made it back-to-back gold medals at the 2022 Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship with a dominant 48-5 victory over the McGill Redbirds at Thunderbird Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
A rampant UBC won the battle of the birds to claim their fourth rugby championship in five seasons of play, running in four tries in each half in a one-sided game that re-established the Thunderbirds as the team to beat in Canadian university rugby.
The Thunderbirds got on the board early with an unconverted Relmu Wilson-Valdes try four minutes in. Tenniel Cowen added a second try in the 11th minute to double their lead and there was no looking back for the defending champions after that.
Jack Carson added to that lead six minutes later, collecting the ball 40 yards out and sprinting through the McGill lines to touch down between the posts, giving Takoda McMullin his first conversion of the afternoon and the Thunderbirds a 17 point advantage.
McMullin added a penalty from close in with two minutes of the half remaining for the last scoring action of the opening 30 as UBC went in with what already looked like an unassailable lead.
The Thunderbirds took just 56 seconds to add to their tally after the restart, with Izzak Kelly powering through and touching down for try number five. Three minutes later and they added another, with substitute Alastair Marshall holding off several McGill tackles on a 40-yard run to score. McMullin converted both tries.
Marshall went over for another converted UBC try in the 40th minute, but McGill weren't done fighting and they got a consolation try with 10 minutes remaining when they stole the ball back and Alexandre Laurendeau went over in the right corner.
With the minutes ticking down, UBC won a lineout deep in the McGill half and Callum Arnesen came out quickly with the ball to touch down for the Thunderbirds' eighth and final try of the game, which McMullin converted for his 13th point of the final.
Carson won the Player of the Game for UBC, with Zach Auger getting the honour for McGill.
UBC 48 MCGILL 5
First Half
UBC - Try, Relmu Wilson-Valdes (convert unsuccessful) 4' 5-0
UBC - Try, Tenniel Cowen (convert unsuccessful) 11' 10-0
UBC - Try, Jack Carson (Takoda McMullin convert) 17' 17-0
UBC - Try, Penalty Convert, Takoda McMullin 28' 20-0
Second Half
UBC - Try, Izzak Kelly (Takoda McMullin convert) 31' 27-0
UBC - Try, Alastair Marshall (Takoda McMullin convert) 34' 34-0
UBC - Try, Alastair Marshall (Takoda McMullin convert) 40' 41-0
MCG - Try, Alexandre Laurendeau (convert unsuccessful) 50' 41-5
UBC - Try, Callum Arnesen (Takoda McMullin convert) 56' 48-5
