EDMONTON – Another season is about to begin for UBC Rugby 7s, with the Thunderbirds women's rugby program holding every possible conference and national title as the T-Birds look to win their third straight Canada West 7s Championship.
The first of three tournaments that make up the conference season begins at Foote Field on Saturday morning, with University of Alberta Pandas hosting. The T-Birds will play all five of their Canada West opponents over the two-day event, with UBC featured in the very first match of the tournament, against Lethbridge at 9:00 a.m. (PT) on Saturday and the very last match of the tournament at 12:22 p.m. (PT) on Sunday against Victoria. Find the full tournament schedule
here.
Not only have the T-Birds won the last two Canada West Rugby 7s Championships, but the program is coming off of its first ever U SPORTS Rugby 15s National Championship in the fall, while winning the last five Canada West 15s titles as well.
"Winning the school's first-ever U SPORTS Rugby Championship, along with the 7s Nationals in 2024, was an incredible achievement" said Thunderbirds Rugby 7s head coach
Darcy Patterson.
"While we carry the lessons and positive momentum from those successes, this season is a new opportunity that we approach with a fresh perspective. We have a new, young, and dynamic group that's hardworking and deeply committed to improving. Our focus will be on building as a team and continuing to grow. It's about balancing the confidence from past victories with a mindset of continuous improvement."
The Thunderbirds' depth was on full display through the recent 15s season. With many of the country's top players on the roster, including three Canadian Rugby 7s Olympic silver medalists, international commitments and recovery time necessitated shifting lineups and roles within the team all year. That adversity did not hinder UBC from finding overwhelming success on the pitch, but the same challenges now exist for this talented 7s group, in a streamlined format in which chemistry and consistency are paramount, with little time, and fewer players, available to help cover for any mistakes.
"We have a few players from our roster away with the National 7s team and a few injuries," said Patterson. "This has allowed for a few individuals to take on more leadership and playmaking roles.
"It's a full squad effort, but you'll see
Tia Jordo and
Adia Pye taking on more responsibility and showing what they can do in the 7s game. It's also great to have
Skye Farish available, she was returning from injury during CanWest 15s. People have yet to see what she can do on the field so it will be fun to watch her grow over the season.
"We have lots of really great players and I can't wait to see them all shine."
The only Canada West team to give the T-Birds trouble in recent years has been their archrival, the Victoria Vikes. The Vikes handed the 'Birds their first regular season loss in five seasons to kick off the 2024 Canada West 15s season, before UBC repayed their Vancouver Island rivals with wins in their other regular season tilt, the Canada West Championship match and the U SPORTS Championship Final.
Last 7s season, the Vikes also won the first matchup between the two sides before the T-Birds again bounced back to win both of their subsequent battles; including the final match of the final tournament to decide the conference championship.
"The Vikes are always a good team," mused Patterson. "I expect them to be good at the breakdown, solid on defence and they will take advantage of any mistakes. It will be fun to play them along with all the teams. Trinity Western has been training hard for 7s and I anticipate them, and the Alberta teams, to be pushing for wins."
The tournament is divided into five sessions, with all six participating schools playing a match in each one. Three sessions are being held on Saturday, with the final two on Sunday. All matches can be streamed, live or on demand, on
Canada West TV.
