The UBC Thunderbirds put the adage “the best defence is a good offence” through its paces Sunday afternoon, defeating the University of California Golden Bears 49-25 in the second leg of the World Cup series.
With the win, UBC takes their fifth consecutive World Cup title with a combined score of 85-64 through the two-leg competition.
After losing the first game of the series in Berkeley two weeks ago 39-36, UBC head coach Rameses Langston was happy to see the win on the board but could still see room for improvement.
“I think that with any young rugby team with tons of talent ... we have a lot of things to work on towards the end of our year, but the class and character of our players and their motivations and how dedicated they are is just exceptional to be a coach of a team like that.”
It was a game filled with offensive bursts through which UBC dictated the majority of the pace of play.
The 'Birds got on the board less than two minutes in after hemming California in early. A well-positioned attack up the right side left a clear lane on the wing for Nick Allen to score a try. For a team with offensive prowess, UBC relied on their positioning of the wings through the first 10 minutes, leaving their backs to control the ball in the middle until their patience was rewarded with an open running lane — a refreshing change of tactics.
Elias Ergas would extend that lead to 10-0 just eight minutes later for the T-Birds.
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The Bears would break their shutout off a 35-yard penalty kick making it 10-3. Following a UBC penalty for an illegal high tackle, California would also finally get their first try of the game. A light tackle attempt allowed California to squeeze their way through a hole and sprint their way into the try zone, making it 10-10 with the conversion at 19:07.
Heading into the dying minutes of the first, UBC’s offensive strategy shifted from using speed on the wings to working it up the gut of the field; after clawing for every possible yard, the ‘Birds would turn it over to the Bears 10 yards from the try zone. California bobbled the ball and decided to kick it away — straight into the top speed, sprinting arms of Sauder who went in for the try untouched.
A couple of penalty goals for UBC would make the score 23-10 at the half — both were scored by Sauder.
After an early penalty goal for California started the second frame, Fraser Hurst would widen the lead for the Thunderbirds as he squeaked a try in at the corner of the try zone. Sauder would miss the tight-angled conversion, making the score 28-13.
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In the 58th minute, Sauder would make a tough corner conversion off a John Jubenvill try to make the score 35-20 for the T-Birds, as UBC adopted a slower game plan to wind down the last 20 minutes of the game.
In another flurry of offensive play, UBC, working the left side and deked the Bear defenders, miraculously passing it over to the back while getting tackled for easily the best play of the day. California answered almost immediately, employing a traditional wing-to-wing passing play up the right side at full speed. Desi Streater would score California's third try of the game, though the visitors would still be a long way behind UBC at 42-25.
Two minutes later the Thunderbirds wing-to-wing passing would also lead to the final try of the day except, instead of working it to a side, UBC shoved it down the middle as Owain Ruttan crossed into the try zone, making the final score 49-25.
UBC now has a couple of weeks off until they return to normal league play. Their next game will be in Victoria to play James Bay AA on March 17.