The 2023 BC Rugby Senior Club Finals line-up has been confirmed – congratulations to all teams that will be competing at South Surrey Athletic Park on Saturday, April 29!
Following a big weekend of Playoff Semi-Final action, the provincial championship matches for all seven BC Rugby Senior Club Leagues in the Lower Mainland have been set. All Finals will take place this Saturday, April 29 at South Surrey Athletic Park, in what will be a celebratory day of Rugby!
The BC Rugby Men’s Premier League Final presented by ONNI will be contested by UBC Thunderbirds and Meraloma RFC, with the winners having the privilege of lifting the historic Rounsefell Cup. The Women’s Premier League Final will see the defending champions Vancouver Thunderbirds take on Westshore RFC – will the Gordon Harris Memorial Cup be returning to UBC or will it be heading to Vancouver Island in 2023?
Come and join us for an epic day of championship Rugby at the 2023 BC Rugby Senior Club Finals at the home of Bayside Sharks RFC. Entry is just $15 for patrons aged 19+, while under-19s get free entry – excellent value for seven games of Rugby!
Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023
Time: 10:30am-7:00pm (Gates open at 10:30am, first match scheduled for 11:00am)
Venue: South Surrey Athletic Park Field 1 & 2 at 14600 20 Ave, Surrey, BC V4A 2C8
Schedule: Click here to view the full schedule
Entry Fee: $15 for 19+, Under-19s get in free
BC Rugby gratefully acknowledges the 2023 Senior Club Finals take place on the ancestral, traditional and unceded territories of the Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwikwetlem, Kwantlen, Qayqayt, Musqueam and Tsawwassen First Nations.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
MEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE PRESENTED BY ONNI
UBC Thunderbirds will get the chance to defend its BC Rugby Men’s Premier League presented by ONNI crown after seeing off old rivals UVIC Vikes 67-21 in the semi-finals.
Thunderbirds, coached by BC Bears Senior Men’s Head Coach Curry Hitchborn, will face a resurgent Meraloma RFC side in Saturday’s Final after the Connaught Park team clinched a 27-14 semi-final win over UBCOB Ravens at Jericho Park.
The Thunderbirds finished top of the table with eight wins from 10 regular season matches, while Meraloma finished third with seven wins and one tie. The Lomas will be buoyed by their tense March 25 victory over Thunderbirds, which ended 32-31 in Meraloma’s favour.
Who will lift the Rounsefell Cup this season?
WOMEN’S PREMIER LEAGUE
Top seed and the reigning champions Vancouver Thunderbirds advanced to the 2022/23 BC Rugby Women’s Premier League Final following a 58-0 semi-final victory over 2022 runners-up Castaway Wanderers.
Thunderbirds will face a revitalized Westshore RFC that will be hoping to deny the UBC side back-to-back championships and take the Gordon Harris Memorial Cup back to Langford.
Thunderbirds finished the regular season second in the table with four victories from five matches, but advanced with a bye as top seed due to points ratio.
#2 Seed Westshore RFC also finished the regular season with four wins from five matches and will be heading into the final full of confidence having inflicted UBC’s only defeat of the season in Week 1 (24-27).
MEN’S PREMIER RESERVE/DIVISION 1 CROSSOVER
Port Alberni Black Sheep will cross over the Georgia Strait to contest the 2023 BC Rugby Men’s Premier Reserve/Division 1 Crossover final following a 32-15 semi-final win over Nanaimo Hornets RFC.
The Black Sheep finished second in the Men’s Division 1 behind Abbotsford RFC but advance to face UBCOB Ravens in the 2022/23 Final.
Ravens was crowned Men’s Division 1 champions last year and will be looking to extend its reign after defeating Division 1 table toppers Abbotsford 35-33 at Exhibition Park. Ravens finished third overall in the Men’s Premier Reserve League, so this will no doubt be a tight, closely-matched encounter.
With a new trophy on the line, who will be crowned champions at South Surrey Athletic Park?
WOMEN’S DIVISION 1
Abbotsford RFC returns to the BC Rugby Senior Club Finals after advancing to the Women’s Division 1 championship match thanks to a big 51-33 triumph over the Vancouver Thunderbirds.
It will be a welcome return for Abby, who will no doubt travel in their numbers from Exhibition Park to support the team’s quest for the title.
They face strong opposition in Meraloma RFC, however, after the Connaught Park side defeated Kamloops RFC 37-0 to reach Saturday’s final.
Abbotsford finished the regular season with a perfect 6-0 record to sit top of the table, with Meraloma closely behind in second. Meraloma’s only defeat of the season was inflicted by Abbotsford at Exhibition Park (27-22), so the Vancouver team will be out for revenge this time around.
MEN’S DIVISION 2
Kats RFC returns to the BC Rugby Senior Club Finals for its second successive season and will be going for back-to-back titles in 2023!
The Kats lifted the Men’s Division 3 trophy at Bayside last year but will be gunning for the Men’s Division 2 title this time around, after reaching the final with an exemplary record.
After finishing its regular season with 14 wins from 15 games, the Kats received a bye to last weekend’s semi-finals, where they enjoyed a big 41-19 win over Meraloma RFC at Jericho Beach Park.
However, Burnaby Lake RFC will be hoping to cause an upset this coming weekend following its 11-8 semi-final triumph over Scribes RFC. Burnaby finished the regular season in second spot with 10 wins from its 15 matches and received a bye to the final four.
Kats RFC earned the bragging rights the last time the two sides met – can Burnaby Lake RFC respond in this weekend’s final?
WOMEN’S DIVISION 2
United RFC will take on Nanaimo Hornets RFC in what is a mouth-watering BC Rugby Women’s Division 2 Final at South Surrey Athletic Park.
United RFC finished its regular season with seven wins from seven matches in the Women’s Division 2 Pool A, before enjoying a 57-0 quarter-final victory over Langley and 24-10 semi-final triumph against James Bay AA.
The Hornets, meanwhile, also finished the regular season unbeaten with a 7-0 record in Pool B, before advancing from the quarter-finals due to a cancellation and then from its semi-final against Simon Fraser RFU with a 29-0 win.
Two undefeated teams going for the title – who will stay perfect for one more week?
MEN’S DIVISION 3
The top two seeds will battle it out for the Men’s Division 3 championship after Richmond RFC and Comox Valley Kickers RFC both advanced through to Saturday’s final with impressive semi-final victories.
Richmond, who finished with 14 wins from 16 matches in the regular season, squeezed past a resurgent United RFC 23-18 to reach the final two, while the Kickers saw off Chilliwack Crusaders 29-15 to move into the final.
Comox Valley finished its regular season with 13 wins from 16 matches, so this final will no doubt be hardly fought.
Who will lift the trophy at Bayside?
BC Rugby
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BC Rugby gratefully acknowledges that its offices reside on the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
