RUGBY 15s: Final Four begins Thursday in Victoria

Oct. 22, 2026 - For the first time in more than a decade, the Canada West Rugby 15s Championships are heading outside Alberta, with a new conference champion set to be crowned on Vancouver Island.

The University of Victoria Vikes will host the 2026 Final Four at Wallace Field, with semifinal action getting underway Thursday afternoon.

This year's semifinal matchups once again pit the conference's west coast powers against scrappy prairie sides eager to pull off an upset.

First up, the second-seeded Lethbridge Pronghorns take on the third-seeded UBC Thunderbirds at 1 p.m. PDT. That game will be followed by the top-seeded host Victoria Vikes battling the fourth-seeded Alberta Pandas at 3 p.m. PDT.

Championship Sunday will feature the Bronze Medal Game at 11 a.m. PDT, followed by the Gold Medal Final at 1:30 p.m.

All games will be available to stream on Canada West TV - Powered by BioSteel. Fans can purchase a Championship Package with access to all games for $19.99, or can purchase each game individually for $12.99.

Fans looking for ticket, venue and additional information are encouraged to visit the Win The West homepage for more details.

2026 CW Rugby 15s Championships Schedule

All games hosted by the University of Victoria Vikes at Wallace Field.

Stream all games on Canada West TV - Powered by BioSteel.

Semifinal #1: No. 2 Lethbridge Pronghorns (4-2) vs No. 3 UBC Thunderbirds (3-2)

Thursday, Oct. 22 - 1 p.m. PDT

Quick Overview: The defending national champion Thunderbirds are chasing a return to the Canada West final after seeing their five-year conference title streak snapped last season. Standing in their way are a speedy Pronghorns squad that finished the regular season 4-2 and has found its stride down the stretch, winning their final two games while scoring over 30 points in each.

Key Players: UBC fly half Sarah MacPherson led the conference with 45 points, including four tries, while Teniola Epemolu paced the Thunderbirds with five tries. Lethbridge counters with fourth-year fullback Zina Umeh, whose six tries led the conference, including five across the Pronghorns’ final two games. Jayda Morrison added at least one convert in all six regular-season contests.

Head-to-Head: UBC dominated the teams’ lone regular-season meeting, earning a 51-7 win in Lethbridge. The Thunderbirds built a 34-0 halftime lead, with Sierra Hasse and MacPherson each scoring twice.

Semifinal #2: No. 1 Victoria Vikes (5-0) vs No. 4 Alberta Pandas (1-5)

Thursday, Oct. 22 - 3 p.m. MDT

Quick Overview: The defending conference champion Vikes enter championship weekend as the top seed after a perfect 5-0 regular season, while Alberta faces an uphill battle against a Victoria offence that has scored more than 60 points three times this season, including a 60-14 win over the Pandas on Oct. 1.

Key Players: Victoria’s Maggie Mackinnon leads the team with 41 points, including 14 converts and two tries, while Olivia Newsome tops the Vikes with five tries. Maddy Grant, Piper Walsh and Kendra Cousineau have added four tries apiece. For Alberta, Kate Alcock leads the way with 35 points, including 12 converts, while Mayeling Henry Rodriguez (five tries) and Kaitlin Tetteh-Wayoe (four) headline the Pandas’ attack.

Medal Game Schedule

Bronze Medal Game: Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2

Sunday, Oct. 25 - 11 a.m. PDT

Gold Medal Game: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2

Sunday, Oct. 25 - 1:30 p.m. PDT

2026 CW Rugby 15s Regular Season Standings