From the Director's Desk
UBC Rugby Newsletter - October 24th, 2013
On The Field
The Birds and Braves made an early trip up to Kelowna this past Saturday with games against the Kelowna Crows and the UBC Okanagan Heat. The hills on the Coquihalla and the connector slowed us down quite a bit so we had to tape and change on the bus in order for the Braves to meet our 1:00 pm kickoff time. The Braves were a little inconsistent on the day but they certainly put together some good phases of play to pull off a 38-7 victory. Curry Hitchborn substituted liberally throughout the match due to a few injuries as well as some strategic substitutions. The Braves put six tries on the board with tries from Sam Clark (Kitsilano), Liam Murphy-Burke (Semiahmmo), Spencer Soltan (Shawnigan Lake) and Ben LeSage (Dr. E.P. Scarlett) while Cully Quirke (West Vancouver) crossed twice. Murphy-Burke kicked three conversions and Quirke added a single conversion.
The Birds were very dynamic on the day scoring twelve tries, even from the backfield and one from the forwards. Sean Ferguson (Brentwood) led the way with a hat trick while Quinton Willms (Earl Marriott), Cam Graham (Merritt Secondary) and Nate Rees (Porth County) all contributed a brace. Harjun Gill (St. Georges), Liam Murphy-Burke (Semiahmoo) and Josh Schreiber (Timoru Boys High School) each crossed the line. Brock Staller (Kitsilano) was good on three conversions while Ferguson and Willms each kick a pair. Final score 74-8.
We were hosted well after the game and the men of the match “Challenge” turned out to be a quick loss for boys as pure experience definitely trumped the university pongers.
The Totes were away at the Brit Lions and that proved to be a fairly one sided affair as the Green and the Red won 28-0. Ball retention and the contact will be attended to this week at practice.
Down The Road, October 26th
U20’s vs WWU 1:00pm KO @ South Surrey
Totems vs Burnaby 11:30am @ UBC
Braves vs Kamloops RFC 1:00PM @ UBC
Birds vs Kamlops RFC 2:30pm @ UBC
Off The Field
Alumni opportunities
UVIC
November 9, 2013 sees UBC kickoff the Boot Series against UVic. Our team is one of the strongest in years and the boys have a very good chance of returning the Boot to the Mainland. All interested parties currently living on the Island or looking to see two of the best varsity programs in North America going head to head are invited to venture over to Wallace Field on the University of Victoria campus to watch the game.
Las Vegas
The IRB 7s tour is making its only North American stop on January 24-26 in Las Vegas. For the first time UBC will be sending a team down to compete in the college division and we would like to have all of you join the team down there. Two packages containing specials on entertainment and accommodation are currently being put together and more information will be available shortly.
California
February 2014 will see the World Cup kick off in Berkeley. A small and dedicated fan base have made the trip down to San Francisco in the past years and the UBC rugby program would like to expand upon this. We invite you to come down on the 15th of February for the 1:00 pm kickoff. Our alumni and parent group will be organizing the UBC Tailgate party before and after the game. We plan on not only winning the game on the field but also putting on the best tailgate in the lot! We look forward to seeing you cheer on the Birds and soak up some California sun.
