Teams set for Rounsefell Cup Final

In a rematch of 2016, the UBC Thunderbirds will square off against Burnaby Lake for the right to lift the Rounsefell Cup on Saturday. The two sides will be vying for the biggest prize in the CDI Premier League after defeating the Castaway Wanderers and Seattle Saracens, respectively, in last weekend’s Semi Finals.

Burnaby Lake will enter as top seeds after completing the regular season undefeated. They held off a second half comeback to defeat a tough Seattle side by 20-11 in home last weekend and are now one win away from perfection. Three changes have been made to their starting lineup. Heavyweight Canada ‘A’ selection Ryan Ackerman replaces Ben Rowley at tighthead prop as Burnaby look to get the edge in the scrum. Argentine-born Juan Videla is called up to the bench as front row cover.

In a slight surprise Lucas Albornoz, who made his test debut for Canada in the Americas Rugby Championship, is left on the bench with UBC alumnus Mike O’Toole instead named in the second row. The third alteration sees Cody Rockson shifted to scrumhalf in place of Jack Caithness, with Shane Dagg rewarded for a strong performance in the Premier Reserve match last weekend to earn a spot on the right wing and Cole McQueen switching to fullback.

UBC meanwhile will stick with a winning formula, fielding an identical starting lineup to the team that defeated Castaway Wanderers 29-15 at Windsor Park. The Thunderbirds are the two-time defending Cup champions and look to be in top form heading into the final with their exciting brand of running rugby a threat to anyone. If the weather forecast of a slightly damp afternoon comes to fruition it could slow their potent outside backs somewhat.

The main event of BC Finals Day at Exhibition Park’s Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford kicks off at 4:30pm local, 7:30pm Eastern. A live stream will be available via BCRugby.com. More information and the entire day’s schedule can be found here.

BURNABY LAKE
1 Anthony Luca (capt.), 2 Micha Govorchin, 3 Ryan Ackerman, 4 Craig McLaughlin, 5 Mike O’Toole, 6 Admir Cejvanovic, 7 Cole Mosychuk, 8 Taitusi Vikilani, 9 Cody Rockson, 10 James Reekie, 11 Kimi Vunituraga, 12 Mike Goodall, 13 Jeke Gotegote, 14 Shane Dagg, 15 Cole McQueen

Replacements: 16 Andrew Lackner, 17 Juan Videla, 18 Adrian Longbone, 19 Lucas Albornoz, 20 Doug Breadon, 21 Mark Higgins, 22 Nolan Shelley, 23 Dan Josok

UBC THUNDERBIRDS
1 Connor Sampson, 2 Alex Mascott, 3 Neil Courtney, 4 James Carson, 5 Connor Weyell, 6 Nakai Penny, 7 Jake Ikeda, 8 Connor Hamilton (co-capt.), 9 Jorden Sandover-Best (co-capt.), 10 Adam McQueen, 11 Manar Kulkhan, 12 Nathan Rees, 13 Niko Clironomos, 14 Theo Sauder, 15 Andrew Coe

Replacements: to be confirmed

Referee: David Smortchevsky