November 28 saw the finale of the 2021 Toronto Arrows Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship presented by Lougheed Wealth Management – Raymond James (CUMRC). Once again, the UBC Thunderbirds were victorious, winning their third championship in four years, and defeating the defending champions and arch-provincial rivals the University of Victoria Vikes in the Gold medal match 39-7.
This year’s tournament was hosted by Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario from November 24-28. 34 teams competed this year to qualify for the CUMRC through their conference or regional leagues, an increase of 17 percent from the inaugural 2017 tournament. Eight teams from all regions of Canada won the right to compete at the CUMRC: UBC and UVic from BC, Calgary from the Prairies, Guelph, Queen’s and RMC from Ontario, Concordia from Quebec, and Dalhousie from the Atlantic. Three brand new qualifiers made it to Kingston – RMC, Calgary and Dalhousie.
The results from the twelve matches played over three days aligned closely with the way the teams were initially seeded. All matches were streamed on YouTube and on The Rugby Network:
Quarter-finals
UBC 66, RMC 0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYTnR_6aEpg)
Guelph 34, Calgary 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q550bCSZ-jw)
UVic 72, Dalhousie 0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPusfiY7Zfw)
Queen’s 38, Concordia 22 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poa5YsZPag4)
Consolation Semi-finals
Concordia 60, RMC 3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29ucaHwEwxk)
Calgary 25, Dalhousie 11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE9A9boxYQ0)
Championship Semi-finals
UBC 41, Queen’s 20 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDuZ8zRey5s)
UVic 29, Guelph 22 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCrwkvUH54c)
Final Day
7 vs. 8: RMC 43, Dalhousie 7 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdPmrDysjBA)
5 vs. 6: Concordia 39, Calgary 17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCk7y1YKgJM)
Bronze medal: Queen’s 13, Guelph 5 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nevcgmXx-8Q)
Gold medal: UBC 39, UVic 7 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acbNEZ89b1E)
Photos from the tournament can be seen here
All game videos on the Queen’s YouTube channel
During the first day of the tournament, 8 players – one from each team – were presented with the Col. W.D.C. Holmes Award recognizing their contributions to the game of rugby off-the-field. Full story.
Following the tournament, the First and Second Team All Stars were announced, with the two finalists, UBC and UVic well represented.
And finally, the University of Calgary Dinos were named as the inaugural winners of the Jeff Chan Spirit of Rugby Team Award. The Dinos were selected by the Toronto Arrows selection panel, the tournament officials, and the CUMRC Board, based on their demonstration of the spirit, values, and culture of the game of rugby including respect for their opponents and the officials, competitiveness, and good sportsmanship over the course of the CUMRC tournament.
The CUMRC Tournament had the generous support of the following sponsors:
Title sponsor: The Toronto Arrows
Presenting sponsor: Lougheed Wealth Management – Raymond James
Sustaining sponsors: The Canadian Rugby Foundation, Langara Fishing Adventures, Pemberton-Holmes, and Michael Holmes.
Host university: Queen’s University
All Stars and Player of the Game sponsor: Pinnacle Scouting
Continuing support: Rugby Canada.
The 2022 CUMRC returns to British Columbia November 30 – December 4, 2022.
