LANGLEY, British Columbia - Friday night (Nov. 17) in Langley, B.C., the Guelph Gryphons men's rugby team fell to the two-time defending national champion UBC Thunderbirds, 30-10, in semifinal action of the 2023 Canadian University Men's Rugby Championships. It marked the first loss of the 2023 season for the Gryphons, who were undefeated through OUA play this season, followed by a win over Trinity Western in the national quarterfinals to earn a semifinal berth. The Gryphons got off to a strong start against the powerhouse Thunderbirds on Friday night, with Gryphon standout
Kobe Faust, scoring the first try of the match to give the Gryphons an early 7-0 lead. But UBC would take control of the match from there, taking a 13-7 lead into the half, before running away with things in the 2nd half, outscoring Guelph 17-3 to take a 30-10 victory. UBC will now face the University of Victoria Vikes in the national championship game on Sunday night at 8pm ET, while the Guelph Gryphons will look to take home some hardware for a second straight season, as they face the Memorial Sea-Hawks on Sunday at 5pm ET in the bronze medal game.
