For the hundreds of T-Birds fans in attendance, their hearts were in their throats. While UBC women’s rugby had played an incredible game thus far against the second-seeded Queens University Gaels, holding on to a slim 20–14 lead in the final minutes of the game — their backs were against the wall. As the 70 minute mark came and went, the Gaels were on the goal line. If they could punch it in and add a conversion, Queens would suck the life out of a raucous Thunderbird Stadium, taking home the win and stealing a game in which they’d never lead. If UBC could get the stop, they’d be heading to a second consecutive national title game against Victoria.
Getting a stop against this Queens team, however, is not an easy task. After all, this is the team that, just two days earlier, put up a historic number of points, scoring 90 against Acadia in the quarterfinals. This is the team that has Lizzie Gibson, the highest-scoring player in the nation, racking up more than double the points of any other player, while outscoring 13 of the 27 U Sports teams all by herself. This is the team that, earlier in the half, despite UBC’s best efforts, had scored in a similar goal line situation, with Gibson pushing past the ‘Birds to bring the Gaels within one score.
So, when Gibson quickly took the ball herself off the ruck, bursting through UBC’s line and diving towards the goal line — a T-Birds loss seemed inevitable. Then, she dropped the ball.
With a spectacular defensive effort by UBC, Gibson was tackled, losing the ball as she went for the try, then inadvertently knocking it forward as she lunged for the score. The knock-on call would go against Queens. UBC would get the ball. With Gibson in utter disbelief, the scrum was awarded to UBC. As the ‘Birds won the scrum, kicking the ball out of bounds from their own try zone — the referee called full time. UBC was headed to the finals.
“I'm just ecstatic. I'm proud. I'm happy,” said wing Charity Williams, the three-time Olympian and T-Birds star. “We've had a really long, rough season, lots of learning experiences. And I feel like it all came together in these last two games. I'm just excited for the last one to go.”
The long, rough season that Williams refers to is the reason that the T-Birds were in this position to begin with. While UBC is the defending national champion, their road back to the finals has not been simple. Coming into the tournament as the sixth seed, the Thunderbirds have had to face the best teams in the country in their first two games, beating Laval — who was ranked second in the most recent U Sports national rankings — before facing Queens, who was first.
The reason that the ‘Birds have had such a difficult path back to this point is because of the team they will face in the championship game — the University of Victoria Vikes. After having Victoria’s number last year, beating the Vikes three times, including in the national championship game, winning 8–3, things have been different this year. UBC and Victoria have played each other three times this year, with UVic winning every time.
While the games were close — Victoria won all three by a combined nine points — it cost the ‘Birds. Thanks to a 18–17 loss in the Canada West final, the T-Birds started in the back half of the national bracket, while Victoria came in as the one seed. After fighting and clawing their way through this tournament, they’ve earned one last chance for revenge.
“You know, that took a lot out of us again — [it was] a real physical game,” said UBC head coach Dean Murten. “UVic probably got through a little bit easier than us, but that's the way we were last year … we're 3–0 down against UVic, so we've got to step up and bring it to them on Sunday.”
Murten wasn’t exaggerating when he talked about how physical this game was. Right from the opening kick, the ‘Birds had to battle for every blade of grass against a tough Queens defence — a defence that gave up the second-fewest points in the country this season. After UBC got some early momentum, getting a lineout in the fourth minute that they quickly converted into a maul down the right sideline, the Gaels stood strong once UBC got within 10 metres of a try. With the ‘Birds getting ruck after ruck, Queens rallied to the ball with each UBC pass, pushing them back and stalling UBC’s drive.
The Gaels would end up being called for a penalty, with the ‘Birds opting to kick for three. While, against a team like Queens, every single point is important, UBC would have liked to come away with a try instead — an early win for the Queens defence.
The T-Birds didn’t let that early setback deter them, though. Early in the first half, UBC dominated both possession and field position, threatening Queens down the field with some big runs. Off a scrum at about midfield, 10 minutes in, UBC’s Piper Logan found some space down the right sideline and burst through for a huge gain, getting within 20 metres of the Queens try zone. While Queens would get the ball back soon after, plays like Logan’s run were still vital to UBC’s success early on. It was the Thunderbirds that were setting the pace of play, not the ever-dangerous Gaels.
For almost the first 20 minutes, the game was played almost entirely in the Queens end of the field. That’s a testament to UBC’s ability to break big runs and push into Gaels territory, like with Logan’s big early run, but perhaps it speaks even more to the T-Birds defence. Against the highest-scoring team in the country that set scoring records in their prior game, UBC stayed fundamentally sound, with no breaks in their line. Even when it seemed like a Gael would sneak through for a big gain, the T-Birds rallied and tackled. According to Murten, this success on defence came from an intimate knowledge of how the Gaels liked to attack.
“They play a different style of rugby to what we do, and we knew how to stop them. They don't pass as much as us, so we knew you'd [have to] just stop the ball carrier,” he said. “Just stop them at [the] source, and it sets you up for success.”
And by playing great on defence — not letting Queens cross midfield — it opened up things on the attack as well. Off a scrum at the edge of Queens territory, the ‘Birds strung together a masterful team play. With two fantastic offloads, the ball found its way into the hands of UBC’s Olivia Sarabura, who gave a quick stiff arm to an oncoming Queens defender before hitting the corner with speed, breaking up the sideline before cutting back to the middle of the field to secure the game’s first try and conversion.
Up 10–0, with Queens not really threatening them yet, the ‘Birds had to feel confident with their play in the early stages. They weren’t just holding their own against the number one team in the country, they were winning — pretty convincingly.
But with a team like Queens, even if you think you have them pinned down, you can’t let them back into it. Unfortunately for UBC, that’s what they did, as in the 21st minute, the T-Birds made their first big mistake of the game. With the chance to extend the score even further, being given a relatively short penalty kick, the usually reliable Brooklyn Roddham’s boot just sailed right of the posts, with UBC’s lead staying at 10. It wasn’t a killer, as obviously the ‘Birds still had a multi-score lead — but the momentum was starting to shift.
Queens saw the opening that UBC had given them after that missed kick — and they took full advantage. On a ruck from UBC’s side of the field with a little under 10 minutes left in the half, a pass from Logan went just over the head of her intended target, and as the ball hit the ground, it bounced right into the hands of Queens wing Mika Matsukubo, who gathered the ball with speed, running 40 metres untouched for a try between the posts. After playing nearly a perfect defensive half, shutting out Queens’ lethal attack, the ‘Birds unforced error brought the game within three.
The ‘Birds would end up salvaging some points at the end of the half, with a Queens knock-on giving UBC the ball and setting up a beautiful kick from distance from Roddham — redeeming herself from the miss earlier — to go into the locker room up 13–7.
For UBC to answer the Queens try with a score of their own, even just a kick, was huge. Acadia found out the hard way in the quarterfinal that when Queens gets momentum, they snowball, putting up points in chunks. Yet, while the ‘Birds showed resilience in fighting back from their errors, Murten emphasized that there are areas in the game where they need to clean things up.
“I'll call it resilience, but they also stressed me out because we were in control, and we gave penalties away,” he said. “We do things that [are] not good enough, but that's what happens when you're absolutely fatigued. You've just been in a battle for 65 minutes, your brain starts to go a little bit, and we've got to be sharper than that. The only way they were going to win is us doing silly things, and we've got to fix that.”
Murten was right — the ‘Birds had largely controlled the game through the first half, and if not for the one big play by Queens, the match would have had a much different feel through 35. Fortunately for UBC, however, coming out of the break, they were able to match the Gaels’ big play with one of their own.
Two minutes into the half, looking to re-establish the multi-score lead they had held earlier in the contest, it was Williams who took the game into her hands. As the ‘Birds pushed up field, Williams popped up a well-timed offload pass, drawing two defenders to her as Sarabura raced down the field, placing UBC firmly in Queens territory right off the bat. While UBC struggled against the Queens line for a minute or two, they soon broke through again, with Williams taking the ball 25 metres away from the try zone, dodging through five Queens defenders on her way to paydirt, accelerating with each cut for a highlight-reel try. Through those two great plays by the Olympic silver medallist, UBC had regained their two-try lead.
“I was just thinking, the first time I tried to get a try, I stepped back in,” said Williams. “And I was like, ‘You know what? I'm really fast, let me take the outside.’ And it paid off.”
The Gaels wouldn’t go away that easy, however. Showcasing the physicality that won them the Acadia game, Queens immediately responded with a quick march down the field, getting within five metres of a try only three minutes after UBC’s score. At the goal line, though, the ‘Birds put up a wall.
They first rebuffed the Gaels after Queens plunged over the goal line, holding up the potential try and sending them backwards with a kick out of the try zone. Then, as Queens pushed the ball back within 10, UBC continued to hold strong. They denied the Gaels up the middle. They denied them as they tried to push it out wide. While Queens would eventually punch the ball in for a try, with Gibson sneaking it in quickly off a ruck, the ‘Birds held for nearly six minutes after the Gaels’ initial trek to the T-Birds goal line. With just under 25 minutes left in the game, UBC would need a whole lot more of that kind of defence before the game was done.
With Gibson’s try bringing the score to 20–14, the stakes were clear. The Gaels’ deficit being six, the next team to score a try would flip the game on its head. If UBC scored, with how well the ‘Birds had been playing on defence, the game would essentially be sealed, with Queens needing two quick tries to take the lead.
Yet, if Queens scored — especially if that score happened late — they could take the game. A try would get them within a point, but a conversion would put them over the top. When you have Gibson on your team, who scored 51 conversions in the regular season, 29 more than the next closest player, that conversion is pretty much a guarantee, no matter where on the field she had to line up. UBC could not let Queens score another try.
The ‘Birds initially did a great job at holding back the Gaels attack. For a 12-minute stretch after the Queens try, the game ground to a halt. The two teams battled it out at midfield, with numerous scrums being called — but not making a difference in either direction. While UBC wasn’t able to generate any offence, crucially for them, neither was Queens. The ‘Birds drained out the clock while Queens grew more and more desperate.
Having plenty of time still left in the game, though, the stalemate broke eventually, first with Queens managing to push the ball close to 30 metres away from UBC’s end, then, with UBC flipping the field back off a scrum, after Rachel Smith pushed the team within 20 metres with only five minutes left. If the ‘Birds could hold the Gaels back deep in their own end a bit longer, they could walk away with the win. They couldn’t.
After a UBC penalty, Gibson decided to play quick, tapping the ball down and breaking through the UBC line. She shed multiple tacklers, taking the ball back out to midfield and erasing all the progress UBC had just made. Gibson’s run was exactly what Queens needed to shift the momentum. While the ball would trade hands a few more times, with a minute left, the Gaels made a final run for it.
Starting from behind midfield, the Queens offence looked as dangerous as it had all night, using their final reserves of energy to wear down the T-Birds defence. The Gaels didn’t do anything complicated, just willing themselves down the field. In the span of a minute, gaining ground off almost every single ruck, Queens made it to scoring range. With another Gibson quick tap, the ball was less than 10 metres from a season-defining try for the Gaels as the clock hit 70 minutes.
With time expired, both teams knew — this would be the final push. Either Queens would score to win, or UBC would get the stop. Both teams’ seasons hung in the balance. Given how easily Queens had cut down the field in the previous 60 seconds, it might have been fair to question whether UBC had enough left in the tank at this point to save their season. Yet, for the next 60 seconds, as Queens took run after run at that T-Birds defensive line — UBC held. With every T-Birds fan holding their breath as Gibson looked to deal the final blow, that game-changing knock-on was called. A collective exhale.
The catharsis from the UBC sideline was palpable. After one of the tightest games of rugby you’ll see, after the ‘Birds battled it out against the best competition the country has to offer, with two games in three days, they could finally celebrate. And celebrate they did. The T-Birds bench erupted, quickly emptying and storming the field, mobbing their teammates that had just gotten the game-defining stop. While there’s one more hurdle to clear for these ‘Birds, in that moment, nothing else mattered. They were moving on.
“What a game. I don't know what my heartbeat was in the last couple of minutes there,” said Murten. “I mean, we played some really good stuff at times. I was very confident at half time. We then scored that quick try, but Queens are very, very good. They're very physical. They came back, got back into the game and hey, you know what? We sneak the win there at the end.”
For Murten, the way his team played down the stretch was indicative of their character. They haven’t taken the easiest road to get here, but in doing so, it’s formed them into a stronger team.
“[Our] courage was absolutely phenomenal. [Queens has] big, physical players and we stood toe-to-toe with them,” he said. “We just didn't want to quit. That's what we said. We won’t be beaten by not working hard enough and they put their bodies on the line and worked hard tonight.”
As exhilarating as this win is, they’ll have to muster up that effort one more time for the grudge match against the Vikes on Sunday — this time, for all the marbles. While they haven’t beaten UVic yet this season, that will all be forgotten with a win on Sunday. For Murten’s team, they’ll do everything it takes to bring home a title in front of their home fans.
“We've just got to put that same performance in again and step up,” said Murten. “It's extremely tiring for these players. The demand on the bodies is insane. But on Sunday that's it. Last game of the season. No complaining, no injuries. It's mental. Go get them.”
First online
Share this article
Submit a complaint Report a correction
