UBC rugby's 50-7 win against Meraloma RC reaffirms why the UBC men’s rugby club remains undefeated this season.
The Thunderbirds are dominating the league as they remain first in the standings with their 5-0 record and Meraloma now falls to last place with a record of 0-5.
The Thunderbirds controlled the play early on and left little margin for error. Scoring often, The 'Birds ended the half with a big 36-0 lead and capitalized on a Meraloma penalty before the intermission whistle where a drive on the penalty secured them a try.
“We’ve got a lot of very highly skilled players —not necessarily the oldest or most experienced guys —but they all definitely come to practice every day [and] work very, very hard,” said Assistant Coach Ford Chamberlain after the final whistle. “[We] definitely put our systems that we’ve gone over in practice on game day and I think it's showing.”
UBC was first to strike again in the second half of the game with a break down midfield. The Thunderbirds initially lost possession of the ball as it was passed out to the wing, but it was recovered and ran in for a try. The two-point conversion was good and the Thunderbirds furthered the scoring gap to 43-0.
Meraloma showed resilience and they continued to play strong throughout the game. Late in the second half, the team took advantage of possession and penetrated through the Thunderbirds defense as they were able to run through players and close in on the Thunderbird’s try line. However, the attack was met with some hard tackles. The 'Birds held them off with several tackles, but failed to turn over possession — Meraloma got their first and what would be their only try of the game. They converted for the two points and the game continued with a score of 43-7, but the Thunderbirds were quick to answer back and the team scored their final try of the game resulting in the 50-7 final.
“Teaching the guys to play with a lot of depth, speed, playing beyond the ball a few phases into the game, not just stagnating after a couple passes.” said Chamberlain.
The Thunderbirds play their final league game in Seattle on November 7 as they get set to defend their undefeated record.