ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University men's rugby team is headed to Bellingham, Washington for a showdown against a Canadian powerhouse, the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:45 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18^th.
 
FIXTURE INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Jan. 18
Kickoff: 2:45 p.m. PST
Opponent: University of British Columbia
Location: Harrington Field | Bellingham, Wash
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QUOTING HEAD COACH TODD THORNLEY
"After a good few months of prep, we are excited to get our season started against one of North America's powerhouse programs. We have been fortunate to come away with some recent success against UBC, so we are under no illusion the challenge we face with their monster forward pack and skillful backline. There are no easy games on our schedule this year so regardless of the outcome we look forward to using this game as a line in the sand for us to evolve from."
 

ABOUT THE FIXTURE
The Thunderbirds enter Saturday's fixture as the first-ranked team in Canada. UBC went 2-4 in their fall season, including an impressive 104-0 win over UBC-Okanagan.
 
In all three matchups, CWU has the advantage, being 3-0 against the Thunderbirds. Last time out, the Wildcats won 20-13 in an intense match that took place in Ellensburg on January 27^th of last year. The largest margin of victory is 29-0 when the 'Cats shut out UBC on a neutral site in 2014.
 
Saturday's fixture will be the first of the season for the Wildcats. After finishing 9-4 last season, the 'Cats will look to build off their recent success. Some impressive performances included victories over ranked opponents such as #6 BYU, #13 UCLA, and #15 Cal Poly. This will be CWU's first test ahead of the home opener against the University of Victoria, slated for Jan. 25 at 12:00 p.m.