QUEBEC – After claiming their fourth-consecutive Canada West championship title a week and a half ago the UBC Thunderbirds are now focused on making the same impact on the national stage when they open quarter-final play at the 2023 U SPORTS rugby championship against the No. 6 seed, host Laval Rouge et Or in Quebec, City on Wednesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. PT.
 
The tournament will feature eight teams and the T-Birds enter as the No. 3 seed behind the No.2 ranked Queen's Gaels and the RESQ champion Ottawa Gee-Gee's who occupy the top seed. The four conference champions are seeded in position one through four, based on their conference's relative finish at last year's championship. The four remaining teams are then slotted to avoid intra-conference matchups until the final round. The only other Canada West participant is the No.8 ranked Victoria Vikes who the 'Birds defeated 10-0 on October 22^nd in the conference title game in Lethbridge, Alta.


 
The T-Birds have been executing at high level all season long and enter as one of just two of the eight teams that are undefeated with a combined 7-0 record (5-0 regular season 2-0 playoffs) while the OUA champions from Queen's have also amassed a perfect 8-0 record (6-0, 2-0). UBC head-coach Dean Murten who is fresh off a fourth-straight Canada West coach of the year award has appreciated his squad's consistency and attention to detail as they've entered the second season.
 
"I like that we are playing as a team with and without the ball," said Murten. "We're sticking to the game plan regardless of what the scoreboard has indicated."
 
The T-Birds results would indicate they're a complete team on both sides of the ball, with an explosive offense that saw them lead the Canada West in scoring by a wide margin, amassing 288 points scored in their five regular season games while adding another 62 points in their two playoff contests to date.


 
With the combined scoring output of 350 points, it's no surprise the 'Birds boasted three of the conference's top four scorers. Leading the way offensively for the 'Birds is fourth-year fly half and recently crowned conference player of the year Savannah Bauder who led the Canada West in scoring with 70 total points through the regular season thanks to contributing seven tries, one penalty goal and connecting on an impressive 16 converts. Bauder, the reigning CW Player of the Week added three-tries and six converts in the 52-5 CW semi-final victory over the Lethbridge Pronghorns while being the sole player to score points, with a penalty goal followed by a converted try as the T-Birds shutout Victoria 10-0 in the conference final. Bauder currently sits with 11 tries, 24 conversions and a total of 109 points scored for the regular season and playoffs combined.


 
The T-Birds also saw a breakout season from the Canada West Rookie of the Year Adia Pye whose effective mix of speed and power helped her tally 11 tries and 55 points through the regular season while adding three more tries in the semifinal win over Lethbride. Pye a Victoria, B.C. native won the CW player of the week award twice this year.


 
Rounding out the top four scorers in the conference is third-year centre and 2023 Canada West All Star Olivia Sarabura, who covers a lot of ground and contributed a balanced mix of six tries and seven converts for a total of 44 points this season.
 
Being able to score at a good clip is advantageous but even more important at this time of year is how to prevent points and UBC wasn't generous in that department allowing a conference best 19 total points through the season and only 15 more in two playoff games so far.
 
"I have been happy with the defence as the season has moved on," added Murten. "Now we need to show that we can defend in the same way against some of the best teams in the country, starting with the reigning champions on Wednesday."


 
The Rouge et Or come in looking to recapture U SPORTS gold following their 2022 championship victory just one year ago when they defeated Queen's 22-5 in Victoria. Laval enjoyed a 7-1 overall record this season with their one setback coming the last time they played, two-weeks ago when they dropped a 27-12 decision to the tournament No. 1 seed University of Ottawa on October 21^st.
 
Laval are proven champions and will no doubt prove to be a stiff opening test in front of their home supporters.
 
"The challenges we have will be the crowd," concluded Murten. "Laval losing the RESQ final will make them come back stronger, the Rouge et Or team are very well coached and they play a very high paced game with outstanding core skills. They're very well organized in defence that makes them hard to score against."



All four quarterfinals will be played on Wednesday, November 1. The opening game will be at 10:00 a.m. (all times Pacific) and will feature Ottawa taking on Victoria. The second quarterfinal will follow at 12:00 p.m. and will see StFX playing Guelph. The evening session will see Queen's and UPEI square off at 5 p.m., while the hosts – and defending national champions – from Laval will take on UBC at 7 p.m.

Game Day 2 is set for Friday, November 3, and will see consolation games at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., with championship semifinals to follow at 2:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. PT.

The final day will be Sunday, November 5, and will start with the fifth-place game at 8:00 a.m., followed by the bronze-medal game a 10 a.m. and the championship at Noon PT.