BC University Teams made an impact at the 2023 Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship in Sunday’s action, with UBC Thunderbirds winning their third-straight National Title, UVic Vikes clinching silver, and hosts TWU Spartans battling to 5th in an impressive consolation final. 

From CUMRC

The energy was high in Langley over the past week as the CUMRC returned to BC for the 2023 Tournament. After 5 days of seeded play, quarter-finals and semi-finals at Willoughby Community Park Stadium, Sunday’s Championship saw No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds dominate the field to outmatch the No. 2 UVic Vikes on their way to an impressive 41-7 victory. Scoring for UBC were Alastair Marshall and Hillyard Carson with two tries each, Callum Arnesen, Jacob Bossi, and Niko Andrianos with a try each. While Takoda McMullin added three conversions for the Thunderbirds. Brendan Kim with a try and Alex Gamage with the conversion were the point scorers for the Vikes.

Meanwhile, TWU Spartans faced Queens Gaels in a thrilling 5th-place match-up. Trinity Western’s Genaro Gandolfo Brignoli scored on the final play of the match to cap a dramatic come-from-behind victory, allowing the No. 5 Spartans to defeat the No. 7 Queen’s Gaels 27-24. Scoring for the Spartans were Lynden Duggan with two tries, and Connor Bernardin, and Brignoli with a try each. Matthew Willemse also added a try and two conversions.

Congratulations UBC, UVic and TWU on an impressive Tournament and bringing the hardware back to BC!