After a much-deserved week off, the fifth-ranked UBC Thunderbirds (3-1) are back in action for their regular-season finale against the fourth-ranked University of Victoria Vikes (4-0) at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre on Saturday afternoon.

Both sides are carrying four bonus points into the Senior Day weekend, meaning the race for the top spot in the conference remains as tight as can be. After first facing off in the season opener, where the Vikes downed the 'Birds 43-25 on the Island, this upcoming rematch will paint the playoff picture on the final day of the 2026 campaign.



The two programs have a recent – and rich – history on the pitch. After falling to UVic in the Canada West Final this time last year, the 'Birds closed out 2025 with a win over the Vikes in the U SPORTS National Championship, dramatically securing the trophy with a game-winning try in the final seconds. Now, with UVic set to host this season's Canada West Final Four, Saturday's matchup could foreshadow another highly anticipated playoff clash in just over a week's time.

"We learned a lot from the UVic game," reflected UBC head coach Dean Murten on the season-opening contest. "We made some slight positional changes on the team since then. We've had some players return from injury, and that's just made us a little bit stronger. But really, our focus has been: continue to stick to the process and keep building each game."

And that they have. Since the opener, the 'Birds have hummed to the tune of a three-game win streak. They immediately followed the lone loss this year with a commanding shutout victory over Calgary on the Point Grey campus, before sweeping their Alberta road trip with another pair of decisive wins, outscoring their opponents 154-38 over that stretch.



Leading the charge during the blue and gold's hot streak has been fourth-year Sarah MacPherson, who is coming off CW BioSteel Player of the Week honours. The T-Birds' fly half has soared into the try zone four times and added a combined seven successful converts over her last two games. A surge coach Murten has been pleased with as the regular season nears its end.

"She has really come on as a player. She struggled with a year-long injury and has really bounced back. She's playing some really good rugby now, and she's stepping up a bit more as a leader on the field, being able to organize people around her. Now, in her final year with us, it's really great to see the way she came in and the way she's exiting."

Not far behind MacPherson on the score sheet is first-year wing Teniola Epemolu. The Ontario native has had an outstanding start to her collegiate career, spreading five tries across four games this season and earning her own Player of the Week honours in late September.



But even with the T-Birds' recent success on both sides of the ball, coach Murten knows he'll need all hands on deck for a Victoria squad that has yet to lose this fall.

"The Vikes are very, very good this season, and probably the strongest I've seen them for many years. They'll have some players back, so they'll probably be at their strongest as well. They've got some fantastic athletes, but we just have to focus on ourselves. We know that we didn't perform when we played them last time. So, the main message is we've got to keep the ball. We've got to be a lot more dominant than we were. For me, I've said to them, 'I want to see some heart, some courage'; the things that we can't really coach. I can't coach that. None of us can coach that, but we really need to bring out the things that we can't coach."

Kickoff for the final regular-season matchup is set for Saturday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m. at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre. You can watch every second on CanadaWest TV.