VANCOUVER – With 10 matches down and just five to go in the 2026 Canada West Women's Rugby 7s season, the Thunderbirds enter the final weekend of play as the favourites to claim what would be their fourth straight championship.
 
Sporting a perfect 10-0 record and a +280 point differential, the T-Birds are riding high after the first two tournaments of the season in late January and early February. As an extra boost, they get to play the final tournament on home turf, taking to Thunderbird Stadium on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7 for five matches over the two days.
 
"I'm extremely happy with how the full team has been doing," said UBC head coach Darcy Patterson. "Lots of people are stepping up in different ways and contributing to our team's success. It's been fantastic season for growth."



Kiki Idowu is the lone UBC player to be named to both of the first two post-tournament "Dream Teams". Both Lana Dueck and Adia Pye received that honour following the first weekend of the season in Alberta, while Olivia Sarabura was named alongside Idowu for her performance in Victoria.

The Vikes remain the team with the best shot to challenge UBC for conference supremacy, as they enter the Vancouver Tournament with an 8-2 record and a +173 point differential. Both of those two losses came at the hands of the Thunderbirds, including a 27-5 defeat on the island back on February 8.

Now, the two rivals are set to battle again inside Thunderbird Stadium, the same site where the T-Birds defeated the Vikes to claim the 2025 U SPORTS Women's Rugby Championship in November. While it will be a somewhat different-looking UBC lineup due to some Thunderbird athletes suiting up at both the World Rugby Sevens Series and a Canadian U21 National Team tour, the action will be just as exciting as ever out on the pitch.


 
The Thunderbirds will open the tournament with a match against Lethbridge at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Later that day they will face Trinity Western at 12:42 p.m. and Calgary at 2:40 p.m. (all times PT).
 
On Sunday, the T-Birds play Alberta at 10:44 a.m. and then Victoria at 1:04 p.m. in the final match of the Rugby 7s season. If UBC wins four of their five matches, they will successfully defend their championship and match the Vikes for the longest-such title streak in conference history.
 
"The team is excited to get to play at home and defend our championship," added Patterson. "Getting to host nationals and performing in the stadium was a highlight, and we are hoping to re-create some magic in this tournament as well."
 
CLICK HERE for tickets to see the T-Birds in action, which can be bought as either single-day or full tournament passes. All of the action will also be streamed on Canada West TV.