RUGBY: T-Birds edge Dinos in preseason poll
UBC pegged as conference favourites as 2019 campaign opens
EDMONTON - The UBC Thunderbirds are expected to soar this season, as the 2019 Canada West women's rugby 15s preseason poll was released Friday.
UBC enters the season as the conference favourites after topping the annual preseason coaches poll. The T-Birds earned 14 points and two first-place votes, while the defending conference champion Calgary Dinos slotted in second with 12 points and two first-place votes.
The Victoria Vikes, who claimed the conference's rugby 7s title a year ago, came in third with 11 points and the final first-place votes.
Rounding out the poll were the Lethbridge Pronghorns (8 points) and Alberta Pandas (5 points).
It won't take long to find out whether or not the coaches were on the right path with their picks, as the Thunderbirds host the Dinos at 4 p.m. PDT Friday in Vancouver.
For a complete team-by-team preview, click here.
2019 CW RUGBY 15s PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Team - Points (First-place votes)
- UBC Thunderbirds - 14 (2)
- Calgary Dinos - 12 (2)
- Victoria Vikes - 11
- Lethbridge Pronghorns - 8
- Alberta Pandas - 5
NOTE: Coaches ranked all opponents 1-4. First-place votes worth 4 points, second-place worth 3 points etc.