KELOWNA, B.C. – Trinity Western's men's rugby team opened its 2025-26 season with a 54-3 win over UBC Okanagan Saturday afternoon at Rutledge Recreation Park.
With TWU playing its 1st XV group in the first half, the Spartans scored three tries, before TWU's Future XVs came on in the second half and added five more tries.
Matthew Willemse dotted down twice and
Ethan Jurgeneit scored once, with Willemse converting on all three attempts to give TWU a 21-3 lead at halftime.
In the second half,
Colton Boychuk scored twice while
Beckham Dickie,
Kael Simpson and first-year Bernabé Sosa Rey tallied one try apiece. Wes Willemse was good on four of five conversion attempts.
QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans, TWU Head Coach
"This was a great preseason team trip to Kelowna to play UBCO. The Heat did a great job frustrating our play in the first half causing us to make a lot of errors and take a lot of penalties. Our players have been working incredibly hard this offseason and it just looked like we put too much pressure on ourselves in the first half.
"In the second half, it was great to see our Future XVs showcase their talent and cross the line for five tries. The development of our young players in such a short time has been outstanding. I thank our senior players who take their mentorship of our young Spartans seriously.
"Defensively, we were solid today, holding the Heat to just three points. That said, the final score doesn't fully reflect the challenges UBCO presented us with throughout the match. We wish them all the best for the upcoming season."
UP NEXT
TWU will begin its Coastal Cup campaign Sept. 6 on the road against UBC.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in nine sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey and track and field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the NAIA in cross country and track and field, and as an independent team in men's rugby and women's and men's disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 14 U SPORTS team championships and 34 Canada West team championships.
About Trinity Western University
Recognized for quality, TWU has received seven consecutive A+ rankings for Quality of Teaching and Learning, holds three Canada Research Chairs, and wins national championships in CIS sports. More importantly, lives are changed at TWU through its whole-person, Christ-centred approach to education. With a wide array of undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree-completion programs, TWU equips leaders of character and competence to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
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