RUGBY: Reigning champion T-Birds favourites in coaches poll
Defending champions receive maximum points in preseason poll
VANCOUVER - Canada West coaches pegged the UBC Thunderbirds as the team to beat in 2021, as the 2021 women's rugby 15s preseason poll was released Thursday.
UBC received the maximum 16 points in the annual preseason coaches poll. The Thunderbirds are coming off of their first conference championship in 2019.
The Victoria Vikes came in second in the poll with 13 points followed by the Calgary Dinos (10 points) in third. The Dinos finished the 2019 regular season on top of the conference standings with 24 points.
The Lethbridge Pronghorns (6 points) and Alberta Pandas (5 points) rounded out the poll in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The Pronghorns and Pandas will get the 2021 season underway on Saturday night with a 7:00 p.m MDT meeting in Lethbridge.
In Victoria, the top two teams in the preseason poll kick off their schedules on opening weekend with the Thunderbirds visiting the Vikes on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. PDT.
For a complete team-by-team preview, click here.
2021 CW RUGBY 15s PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team - Points (First-place votes)
- UBC Thunderbirds - 16 (4)
- Victoria Vikes - 13 (1)
- Calgary Dinos - 10
- Lethbridge Pronghorns - 6
- Alberta Pandas - 5
NOTE: Coaches ranked all opponents 1-4. First-place votes worth 4 points, second-place worth 3 points etc.