The first place UBC Thunderbirds (3-0) are putting their perfect record to the test Thursday when the second place University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (2-1) come to town for a 5:30 p.m. (PT) match at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
The U SPORTS No. 3-ranked 'Birds have yet to allow a point at home this year, putting up back to back clean sheets in decisive wins against Calgary and Alberta.
"The biggest part of a successful defence is the attitude and mindset that we must attack the attack to get the ball back," commented UBC head coach
Dean Murten. "The team has worked hard on working for each other whilst taking ownership for 1 on 1 tackles."
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Lethbridge enters the match coming off of their first loss of the season, a 38-21 defeat to the Alberta Pandas, who UBC beat 74-0 earlier in the year. The T-Birds also won their only matchup with the Pronghorns last season 74-25.
"Coming off of a loss against U of A, we will bring the best out of U of L," said Murten. "They're well coached and have some physical players, and a good kicking game."
UBC is just two matches away from potentially putting up a third straight undefeated Canada West regular season, as a home date against rival Victoria on October 14th will close out their schedule. The 'Birds are looking to win a fourth consecutive Canada West title and bring home the team's first ever U SPORTS banner at the national championships in Laval, Quebec in early November.
"We will continue to fine tune our attack and play in the right areas of the field," concluded Murten. "We need to put a big effort into our defence, making U of L work for everything. Our discipline needs to be of the highest standard, if not the Pronghorns will put us under pressure."
You can catch all of Thursday's action on
Canada West TV. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. (PT).
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