Seasons with UBC: 3
Overall record: 43-26-2 (.606)
*As of June, 2026
Didier Banse has completed his third season as UBC Thunderbirds head coach.
The Thunderbirds competed on a number of different fronts in 2025-26, as they earned their second straight bronze medal at the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship, played the second leg of their World Cup series against Cal Berkeley, competed at the 2025 Collegiate Rugby Association of America Fall Classic, and finished second in the BC Rugby Premier League standings. The Thunderbirds faced off against rivals UVic in the Premier League playoffs, and despite beating the Vikes for both the Wightman Boot and national bronze earlier in the year, it was Victoria who prevailed in their final match of the season to knock out the T-Birds.
After being named interim head coach for his first year, Banse became the permanent head coach ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. There, he helped lead the 'Birds to their 11th Wightman Boot victory in the last 12 years, winning the series over UVic 70-54 on aggregate. In a very busy season, the T-Birds resumed their historic World Cup series against Cal Berkeley, finished in third place at the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship, and made it to the BC Premier League Final where they fell in a hotly contested bout to the UBCOB Ravens.
In 2023-24, Banse guided the T-Birds to their third consecutive third consecutive Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship title, and the team's fifth in six seasons. In their three matches at nationals, the Thunderbirds outscored their opponents by a combined score of 112-20. UBC also recaptured the Wightman Boot in a thrilling two-leg series against rivals UVic, with the T-Birds taking the trophy by an aggregate score of 50-49.
Banse first joined the Thunderbirds program in 2018 as an assistant coach, eventually becoming the team's attack coach before taking over the top role. Born in Fiji but raised in New Zealand, Banse played both rugby union and rugby league professionally, and is believed to be the only person in Canada who coaches both codes at the national level.
He began his coaching career in Metro Vancouver, building the youth program at Bayside RFC in Surrey while also serving as the head coach of Vancouver Dragon RLFC. He has worked with a number of clubs in the region as a fixture of the local rugby scene.
