EDMONTON – While they might not have earned the top seed in the regular season, the Thunderbirds will still enter the Canada West playoffs with the confidence that comes with being the defending champs.
Ranked No. 2 out of the four teams headed to Foote Field at the University of Alberta, and No. 7 in the country, this week's pair of matches are crucial not just for the opportunity to win another title, but also to earn a better seed at the upcoming CGIS U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship hosted here at UBC at the end of the month.
Seeking their sixth straight Canada West banner, the T-Birds will first face the last program to win six in a row in the Lethbridge Pronghorns, who did so between 2006 and 2011.
UBC did dispatch the Pronghorns handily in their regular season matchup in Vancouver a few weeks ago, but the Albertan outfit rebounded with a win over the Pandas to enter the postseason with a 2-2-1 record.
"Lethbridge have certainly improved since our regular season game," remarked Thunderbirds head coach
Dean Murten. "They have a lot of talented players and are well-coached. We can't take them lightly, they will be out to show they're a better team than when we last played them. We need to be mentally prepared for a tough game."
That semifinal clash begins at 12:00 p.m. (PT) on Thursday, with the medal matches set for Sunday. Should the T-Birds make it to the Canada West Final, their likely opponent would be the Vikes, who first play the Pandas in their respective semifinal.
UVic won both regular season matchups against the Thunderbirds, by scores of 19-15 and 10-6. The two teams have met in each of the last four conference championship finals, with the T-Birds prevailing on each occasion. The Vikes will certainly be hungry to end the UBC banner streak, and to win their second Canada West title in program history.
"We know we would have to produce the best performance of the season to beat UVic," mused Murten on that hypothetical gold medal matchup. "We have been close several times, however they're a great team and very hard to beat…we have to take the opportunities we get."
The blue and gold will be relying on their battle-tested, talented veterans to help see them through, with Murten crediting team captain
Piper Logan as well as third-year
Lana Dueck as being two of the players providing great leadership within the team this season.
The Thunderbirds also have received a boost in that regard with the return of reigning Canada West Player of the Year
Rachel Smith, who along with
Florence Symonds missed all of the regular season while away with Team Canada at the recent Women's Rugby World Cup.
The entirety of the Canada West Championship will be broadcast live and on-demand on
CanadaWest.tv. Should the T-Birds defeat the Pronghorns in their opening match, they will then play for gold at 12:00 p.m. (PT) on Sunday. The bronze medal match is at 10:00 a.m. (PT), also on Sunday.
