October 29, 2025

UBC Thunderbirds soar into semis with decisive win over Laval

The host UBC Thunderbirds authored the first upset of the 2025 U SPORTS Women’s Rugby Championship, delivering a powerful 32-10 victory over the #3-seeded Laval Rouge et Or in the tournament's final quarterfinal at a buzzing Thunderbird Stadium.

From the opening whistle, the #6-seeded T-Birds played with a palpable intensity as they fed off their home crowd’s energy. Fly half Brooke Roddham settled early nerves with a penalty kick in the third minute, giving UBC a lead they would never relinquish.

The first half was dominated by the boot of Roddham and the finishing of winger Tia Jordo. Jordo broke the game open with two tries in a three-minute span, first in the 23rd minute and again in the 26th. Her explosive runs staked UBC to a commanding 13-0 lead before Laval’s Anne Lamothe could answer with a penalty goal just past the half-hour mark, sending the teams to the break with UBC ahead 13-3.

Any hope of a Laval comeback was quickly extinguished in the second half. Just five minutes after the restart, UBC scrum-half Piper Logan sniped over for a try, and Roddham's conversion extended the lead to 20-3.

To their credit, the Rouge et Or responded with urgency. A try from Camille Arvin-Berod in the 51st minute, converted by Lamothe, briefly cut the deficit to 20-10 and threatened to shift the momentum.

However, the Thunderbirds had an answer in the form of centre Charity Williams, who was named UBC's Player of the Game, as she sealed the victory with a critical try in the 59th minute. The T-Birds weren't done, as replacement Jamie Dickson added a final exclamation point with a try in the 64th minute to bring the score to its 32-10 finale.

The win was a complete team performance from UBC, fueled by a staunch defense and a clinical attack that capitalized on its opportunities. For Laval, despite a strong game from their playmaker and Player of the Game Sandrine Faucher, they had no answer for UBC’s relentless pressure.

The victory propels the host Thunderbirds into the national semifinals, where they take on the OUA champion Queen’s Gaels on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Pacific. Laval heads to the consolation round, where they will take on Acadia at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.