The McTavish Cup will kick off at Wallace Field and Centennial Stadium, hosting eight premier Canadian university teams
Photo by Justin Morash.
On Aug. 26, UVic and the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship (CUMRC) announced the university would be hosting the 2027 McTavish Cup next November, bringing the country’s most competitive rugby teams to Victoria for three non-consecutive days of elite rugby.
“It’s the only opportunity in the year where all the top universities from across the country get a chance to measure up against each other,” said Scott Manning, head coach of the Vikes men’s rugby team.
“[It’s] the nature of rugby in our country with how big it is.”
Manning has led the men’s team as Head Coach since 2021, attending five previous McTavish Cup tournaments. The last time UVic won the McTavish Cup was in 2019.
Maria Samson, chair of CUMRC, said in the press release that “UVic has a remarkable rugby history and has played an important role in the vision for a national university championship. We’re excited to build on that legacy and bring Canada’s leading university men’s rugby programs to Victoria.”
CUMRC adopted the McTavish Cup as its public facing name in 2026. The trophy is named after Spence McTavish, a celebrated UBC Thunderbirds player, coach, and figure in the wider Canadian rugby scene.
“We always have our eyes locked on nationals, and that’s what we’re always pushing and fighting for,” said Morgan Di Nardo, a fourth-year geography and computer science (geomatics) student who plays the outside back position with the Vikes.
Di Nardo competed in two previous McTavish cups, and is also a past member of Team Canada’s Rugby 15’s team, but was absent this past season due to injury.
“We play in the men’s club league with UBC out here in B.C., which makes us a little different from every other school in the country, because they all play in the university league.”
The three non-consecutive day tournament will be played on two fields on campus, Wallace Field and Centennial Stadium, on Nov. 16, 18, and 20.
By hosting the tournament, the Vikes receive an automatic pathway into the eight team tournament, which hosts teams from conferences and regions across Canada.
“We’re always a team that feels like we should be competitive and have the goal of winning a national championship, so that doesn’t really change with us hosting it,” said Manning.
“Being able to play in our own city in front of our own friends and family adds extra excitement to the tournament.”
Hosting the tournament provides apparent advantages for the Vikes. Factors such as not having to travel, and getting proper rest and nutrition while remaining at home, may optimize their performance against opposing teams who’ve travelled to get here.
Manning also said playing on a field whose condition and surface Vikes players are already familiar with could be advantageous.
“A lot of the teams around the country play on turf, on artificial surfaces. Knowing the weather [and] the surface that we’re used to and comfortable with I think gives a slight advantage as well,” he said.
This year, the tournament is set to be hosted at Trinity Western from Nov. 17 to 21 in Langley.
Until 2024, the only teams to have captured gold at the McTavish Cup since it began in 2017 were UVic and UBC. The École de technologie supérieure (ETS) Piranhas won gold in 2024, and the following year, the Guelph Storm won.
“I would expect those two past winners to be very competitive this year and next year as well,” said Manning.
“It’s always UBC and whoever’s from Ontario that we’re looking out for [and] we’re watching [footage] on,” said Di Nardo.
Di Nardo also notes the Vikes’ ability to conjure up momentum and effectively build energy when playing against opponents, reflecting on wins in the past spring semester. The Vikes bested Westshore Rugby Football Club (RFC) 38-17 in the quarter final of the BC Premier League playoffs, and later the UBC Thunderbirds 37-22 in the semi-final, eventually losing to the UBCOB Ravens in the finals.
“It’s that kind of momentum [that] I think will be in our favour next year when we are hosting and playing in front of our friends and families,” said Di Nardo.
“It will bring everyone’s energy up. I think that’s what’ll really tie us together because we have the players to win. It’s whether or not we have the right mindset, but I think having a home crowd and home field advantage will be exactly what we need.”
