VANCOUVER, B.C. – The first leg of the Wightman Boot had all the makings of an instant classic.
In this year's edition of the two-game series, the UBC Thunderbirds (2-0) fended off a late scoring surge from the University of Victoria Vikes (0-1) to secure a 36-26 win over their provincial rival.
As expected, it was an aggressive, hard-hitting battle between two of the top rugby clubs in the nation. Just as it looked like UBC was running away with it, the Vikes clawed their way back and evened the score in the second half, only for a try from
Ethan McCarthy in the 65th minute to lift the 'Birds to an emphatic win.
"We did a lot of good things in the first half," began UBC head coach
Didier Banse. "We came out, and we really played with the speed of the ball. We scored some good tries, but just with our lack of focus, we let UVic back in this game."
Following a kick out of a midfield scrum, Victoria-raised but current T-Bird
Elijah Palov leaped at a 50-50 ball and hauled it in at a full sprint. Without breaking stride, he led his squad on a blistering run upfield. A pair of short passes and a tackle later,
Joe McNulty came up with it and punched in the first score of the game in the opening 30 seconds.
It didn't take much longer for UBC to add another as, after coming out on top following an advantage in the final third of the field, a curving kick from James Bliss flew over all defenders, but the Vikes couldn't settle it down. Palov then sprang into action and jumped on the turnover near the try line and fell for the score.
"I think [Palov] saw what Lenny [Bonduau] was doing last week, with all those cross kicks, and wanted to one-up him there," laughed coach Banse. "Lenny had a great game as well, but Elijah is a firecracker back there, and I'm really happy for his performance today."
A few minutes later, fifth-year T-Bird wing
Alastair Marshall ended a series of lateral passes near the try line by juking a defender and diving under the uprights to cap a trio of unanswered tries for the T-Birds. With two of three converts made, UBC held a 19-0 advantage after the 20-minute mark.
Near the 34th minute, UVic's Ronin Smith found some ground on the right side, but after a pair of flip passes, the ball landed in the hands of Reece Thompson, who had plenty of room to run in his side's first score of the game.
As tempers began to flare, leading to warnings and handshakes for both sides, Bonduau finished out a series of passing plays by stretching out with one arm and hammered in the try. Just as it seemed as though UBC re-established some breathing room, UVic responded by inching their way up the field and added another try in stoppage time, cutting the deficit to 26-14 heading into the break.
Coming out of halftime, the Vikes clearly had the wind in their sails as they wasted little time to cut into the deficit once again. Michael Oughtred flipped a pass to Alex Gamage, who eluded the last UBC defender for a clear lane to the zone and added another UVic tally just eight minutes into the new half.
Shortly after, the visitors pressed again. A battle of countless bodies on the try line led to Muiredach Casey scooping up the loose ball and quickly launching himself over teammates and T-Birds for the score. With the convert made, UVic levelled the game at 26 apiece with 20 minutes remaining.
Yet, the 'Birds were not deterred. Near the 65th minute, UBC unleashed a precise moving maul near the try line, with third-year McCarthy being dragged by his fellow 'Birds into the zone and to the ground for the score, handing the blue and gold the lead once more.
The Vikes continued to press but, with only three minutes to go, a high tackle led to a penalty kick for UBC. Bliss stepped up and drilled it between the uprights to put the 'Birds up by double digits, sealing the 36-26 victory.
The second and final leg of the Wightman Boot will take place on the island, as the 'Birds and Vikes will fight to lift the bronzed trophy at Wallace Field in Victoria. The game gets underway on Saturday, October 24 at 2:30 p.m. PT.
"We're going to expect the same," added Banse following the hard-fought win. "UVic are a really strong team. We're going to have to come out and have the same focus for the full 80 minutes. We have got to have good discipline and just play our game."
More T-Bird action is fast approaching, as UBC will be taking on the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club in the team's first taste of Premier League action this season next week. Kickoff is set for Saturday, September 19 at 2:30 p.m. PT at the Gerald McGavin UBC Rugby Centre.
