UBC men’s rugby is set to host the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears in the final leg of the 2016 World Cup series this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Thunderbird Stadium.
“They are a very good team,” said UBC men’s rugby manager Dave Brown. “We’re expecting them to be strong upfront in the forwards and to be dynamic and powerful runners in the backs. We’re expecting a very hard game again.”
The first half of the World Cup match-up between these two teams was played down south on Golden Bear territory and was a fight to the finish. UBC was left defending their try line during the final minutes of game play as Berkeley persisted in penetrating the UBC defence in order to score the equalizing try. UBC was relieved they secured a 20-15 win as the final whistle blew.
“The preparation is still going on. The coaches are really managing the players right now because there’s been such a heavy schedule, particularly with the seven [game] last weekend,” said Brown.
The World Cup champion is determined by the total points of the two-game series. UBC will have an advantage entering into Sunday’s game as Berkeley will need to make up that five-point deficit.
Brown is hoping to see a large home crowd for Sunday’s game as all other games scheduled in the rugby community are set to take place Saturday.
“We encourage everybody to come out and support us on this occasion.”