Story by Canada West
Congratulations to UBC Thunderbirds on making it a five-peat of Canada West Conference titles following victory over UVIC Vikes in the 2024 Canada West Women’s Rugby 15s Championship final!
The Thunderbirds jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first 15 minutes and never looked back for a 51-22 win to capture the 2024 Canada West Women’s Rugby 15s Championship.
The rubber match of a pair of lower-scoring affairs in the regular season, UBC flexed its muscle against a banged-up Vikes squad – claiming their fifth consecutive CW crown.
“We got the scoreboard moving pretty quickly and that just settled the nerves a little bit and allowed us to play the way we wanted to play,” UBC head coach Dean Murten said.
“We’ve had two really good league games against each other. We kind of knew we had a lot more to come because we’ve just gradually been getting better, so we’re peaking at the right time. All credit to UVic – they did have a few players injured. But that’s the way it goes. You need that bit of luck. We’ve come through this with no injuries, which is good for us. I just think we performed to the best of our abilities today.”
Savannah Bauder opened the scoring with a penalty goal just six minutes in for the early 3-0 lead. The fifth-year fly half then picked up a loose ball at midfield and turned on the jets, sprinting 60 yards for the first try of the game and a quick 10-0 lead just 11 minutes in.
Charity Williams added another long run for the T-Birds and just like that it was 15-0.
The Vikes started to find their footing midway through the first half. Maddy Grant took a handoff and split the defence, touching the ball down before Vanessa Chiapetta’s first convert of the evening to get Victoria right back in this one at 15-7.
Rachel Smith added a try and Bauder kicked home another penalty goal before Chiapetta had a nice run for the Vikes to make it 25-12 in the 29th minute.
Adia Pye added another try before halftime to stretch the UBC lead to 32-12 at the break.
Rugby 15s | CW Gold Medal Game Highlights 🎥
The @ubctbirds claimed their fifth straight conference championship with a 51-22 win over Victoria!
See how it happened ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yd7xFIthMe
— Canada West (@CanadaWest) October 21, 2024
The Thunderbirds came out of halftime and immediately added to their lead, with Williams once again showing off her speed. The Olympian took a pass outside and burst down the sideline 80 yards for the somersault score on her birthday to make it 39-12 less than one minute into the second half to set the tone for the rest of the way.
Victoria added the next 10 points off a try from Chloe Hill-Huse and a penalty goal from Chiapetta, but it was too little too late, as the T-Birds salted this one away with insurance tries from Florence Symonds and Shalaya Valenzuela for a 51-22 final.
“UBC played really well today,” Victoria head coach Brittany Waters said postgame. “They capitalized on every single one of our mistakes and just ran away with it. All their players showed up and when a collective group shows up, they’re hard to beat. I’m really proud of our athletes fighting for the full 80 minutes. We talked a lot about grit and we never let off. The game didn’t go our way, but still really proud of our athletes.”
THUNDERBIRDS, VIKES CLEAN UP AT AWARDS
UBC’s Rachel Smith has been named the conference’s 2024 Rugby 15s Player of the Year.
It’s a well deserved recognition for the fourth year lock who has been an essential part of the Thunderbirds recent dynasty. Smith’s presence in the middle of the pitch was once again an integral part of UBC’s success this season, leading the T-Birds to a first place 4-1 regular season record and a fifth straight conference title after a 51-22 victory over Victoria in the gold medal game last night.
Her Thunderbirds teammate Mya Koleba was named Rookie of the Year after an impressive debut campaign. The Coldstream, B.C. product stepped into a talented T-Birds lineup and made an instant impact, with coaches praising her strong tackling and ability to disrupt opposing attacks.
Lethbridge head coach Graeme Moffat was awarded Coach of the Year, leading a young Pronghorns roster to a third place finish in the regular season standings.
Calgary’s Willow Beyea was named the recipient of the Student-Athlete Community Service Award, recognizing her leadership displayed on the field, her commitment to helping fellow student-athletes at the University of Calgary, and a dedication to growing the sport of rugby in her community.
The Rugby 15’s 2024 All-Star roster has also been announced, headlined by six UBC Thunderbirds and four members of the Victoria Vikes. The Lethbridge Pronghorns and Alberta Pandas each placed a pair on the list, while Beyea was the sole Calgary selection.
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