Building on last weekend’s comprehensive win over Capilano RFC, UBC men’s rugby team hosted Burnaby Lake RC Saturday. The home team won the game with ease, finishing the game 38-25 and showing why the Thunderbirds are a force to reckon with this year.
A sizeable crowd had gathered to witness one of the most interesting rugby matches of the season. These two evenly matched teams had a lot to prove and the tension flared up from time to time with a few shoves and pushes.
“Our aim is for the set [of players] to improve with every coming match. The main goal here is to get better as a club and improve as individuals with a strong emphasis on development,” said Head Coach Ramses Langston.
The home team was the first to report on the scoreline as they raced to a 10-0 lead within the first 10 minutes. Their positive start was however quickly challenged as the Burnaby Lake RC who reduced the gap to only two points midway through the first half, rendering the score 15-13.
With halftime approaching quickly, the home team pushed to extend their lead. As Burnaby lost possession on the line-out, the home team pushed the ball out to the wings and ran it in for a try. However, despite some gritty defending by the Thunderbirds, Burnaby managed to salvage a penalty, which they converted with ease. The two teams headed back to their respective benches with the score at 20-16.
An explosive start to the second half saw Burnaby recover to peg the scores at 23-22 — just one point behind the home team.
A quick counter from the Thunderbirds saw them establish an eight-point lead which they maintained three quarters into the second half. With only 10 minutes left on the clock, the home team sought to finish the game off.
Later on, as the Burnaby Lake RC fumbled the ball, the 'Birds took advantage and pushed the score to 38-25. With little time left on the clock, Burnaby tried to catch up with the Thunderbirds, but their efforts were to no avail as the home team’s tenacious defending gave them no where to go. The game ended 38-25.
“Burnaby Lake RC did a good job of making things hard on us. Their coaching staff and the quality of their players makes them a very good club.... Players like Carlo Albert were an important addition to the team and really helped in steadying the ship,” said Langston.
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