The three-time defending champion UBC Thunderbirds aim to continue their dominance at the Raymond James Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship this week. The T-Birds have won five of the six titles in the tournament's history, and again come into the eight-team competition as the favourites.

After playing each of the last two tournaments in B.C., the blue and gold head to Ottawa's Matt Anthony Field where they will play three games in five days from Wednesday, November 13th, to Sunday, November 17th. To ease the physical burden somewhat, the games are 60 minutes long as opposed to the normal 80.



The Thunderbirds face off against the UBC Okanagan Heat in the quarter-finals. That clash, like all the games throughout the tournament, will be broadcast for free on www.therugbynetwork.com.  

Despite both being part of the UBC network, the Thunderbirds and Heat don't have much playing history against each other. The Heat compete against schools from Alberta and Saskatchewan in the Prairies division, and finished their regular season undefeated to win their first-ever Prairie U Championship. That's now led to their first appearance at nationals, where they are the #8 seed.

If the T-Birds defeat UBCO, their biggest rivals for gold will be Guelph and Victoria, who are the only two other teams to have played in every CUMRC since the tournament's inception. The Gryphons finished as OUA champions with an 8-0 record, while the Vikes are the only team besides UBC to have won the CUMRC, which they did back in 2019.

The Thunderbirds enter the tournament 4-0 against university opposition, with a pair of wins over each of UVic and Trinity Western. With a +80 point differential over those four games, the T-Birds have shown they can put up points in a hurry. Those victories over the Vikes also meant that UBC captured the Wightman Boot for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons, showcasing their dominance in the coastal rivalry.



The T-Birds have been further battle-tested in BC Rugby Premier League play, going up against some of the top club teams in the region. Coming off a tough loss to the top-ranked UBCOB Ravens, the Thunderbirds will be looking to build momentum before the upcoming winter break.

Ranked #1 coming into the CUMRC, the 'Birds stand as the clear team to beat. They program has made it to gold medal game every tournament, and look to extend that streak to seven years in a row. The Thunderbirds are sending a 26-man roster to Ottawa for the competition, who will fight to continue UBC's legacy of success at the competition.



Should they win their quarter-final matchup, the T-Birds will play in the semi-final round on Friday afternoon, and then in one of the medal games on Sunday afternoon. All of the games can be watched for free on www.therugbynetwork.com.