The University of British Columbia Rugby Club

Both of our UBC teams that were playing for some hardware this weekend came home empty handed. The Totes lost to Kamloops 27-6 in the third division final and the Birds got hammered  45-7 by the UBC Ravens in the Bowl final. In the Totes game it was men versus boys and the older,stronger Kamloops group put a stamp on the game in the second half, shutting out the younger guys while adding another 17 points. Congrats to Kamloops but why aren't you guys playing in the 1st division where you belong?

The mighty young Totem group snuck past a older but not necessary wiser bunch of Brtit-Lions this Saturday down at John Oliver Park. It was a close game but the younger guys maintained their composure and eventually outlasted the Brit-Lions 7-5.  Ed Robinson touched down in the corner and Liam Murphy-Burke made the difficult conversion which will send the Totes to the finals next week in South Surrey.

 Close to one hundred alumni attended our annual dinner and toasted Barry Legh for his significant contributiion to UBC Rugby, on and off the pitch. Lots of stories, lots of laughs and of course way to many beers. Many thanks go out to all that attended and the many who could not attend but sponsored a player. Special thnaks go to Heidi Daniel who helped pull everything together. Thanks also go out to Colin Brown from Canadian Direct who sponsored the wine at the tables. Thanks also to Rick Bourne, Gord Fitzpatrick, Bill Weymark, Heidi Daniel and four varsity players who sponsored items for our auction. Close to $25,000 will have been raised once we collect all the funds.

 Still not too late to get onboard for a great night. We will honor Barry Legh and his 37 years at UBC as student, player, coach and lecturer. The dinner with start at 6:30pm. We are close to 100 attendees but we certainly still have room for extras. You can pay at the door but we will only accept cash or a cheque. Last minute quests should contact Spence McTavish so you can be placed at  an appropriate table. You can contact Spence by email or phone.

spence.mctavish@ubc.ca

Work  604 822-5958

Home 604 731-4000

 A mixture of Totems 1's and 2's play Richmond RFC this past Saturday at Wolfson Field. UBC were first to score two and were up 12-0 inside the first 15 minutes. Richmond struck back with a try in the first half and it was 12-7 at the half. Richmond played a tight game quite effectively and marched down to tie the game at 12-12. Both teams had opportunities to score but it was not until the last play of the game that UBC's Liam Murphy-Burke hit a seam and dotted down for UBC to secure a 17-12 win.

 UBC went one for two on the weekend with the visiting University of Victoria. The day got off to a sparkling start with the UBC freshman group handling the UVic Jutes  with a 45-14 result. Full bank, Eric Chau (Charles Tupper) dotted down twice while right winger Kyle Leeners (Rockridge) doubled that with four tries. Cam Graham ( Merritt) crossed the line in the second half while Liam Murphy-Burke (Semiahmoo) converted five from seven.

The second game was all one way traffic as UVic cruised to an 82-0 victory. The Vikes lead 29-0 at the half and really poured it on finishing with fourteen tries on the day. It was truly a dark day for UBC but there is the opportunity to make amends on January 21 when UVic hosts the rematch. Let there be light.

This coming Saturday, November 5th at Wolfson fields UBC will play host to the University of Victoria for the first game of the "Boot". The "Boot" is the home and away series played by UBC and the University of Victoria. The "boot" gerts it's name from the bronzed rugby boot of former UBC coach Brian Whightman and is hoisted by the team with the best total points of the two games. The preliminary game will have the University of Victoria Jutes and the UBC Totems take the field at 1:00pm while the Birds and Vikes KO at 2:30pm. The Birds will be trying desperately to bring the "Boot" back home as it has been residing on Vancouver Island these past 13 years.