U Sports viewing guide: Canada's national championship season returns
Women's rugby kick-starts fall sports championship schedule Wednesday
The U Sports national championship season is set for its return on CBC Sports.
Following a four-year agreement, which includes the English-language broadcast of the 2021 Vanier Cup exclusively on CBC-TV, digital coverage for all championships on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and the free CBC Gem streaming service begins on Wednesday with the 2021 U Sports women's rugby championship.
No Canadian university national championship was awarded in the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The top university women's rugby teams in the country will be hosted by the national No. 2 ranked Queen's Gaels at Nixon Field in Kingston, Ont., with CBC Sports' live streaming coverage beginning on Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET with the quarter-final matchups.
Semifinals begin on Friday at 11 a.m. ET and conclude with the gold medal game on Sunday at 3:30 p.m ET.
Along with host Queen's, the event also features No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds, No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or, Ottawa Gee-Gees, Guelph Gryphons, Victoria Vikes, St. Francis Xavier X-Women and Acadia Axe Women.
In 2019, Laval defeated Queen's 22-14 in the U Sports championship final, in Ottawa.
Women's rugby competition schedule
Quarter-finals
- QF #1, Wednesday, Nov. 10 - 11 a.m. ET
- QF #2, Wednesday, Nov. 10 - 2 p.m. ET
- QF #3, Wednesday, Nov. 10 - 5 p.m. ET
- QF #4, Wednesday, Nov. 10 - 7:30 p.m. ET
Semifinals
- SF #1, Friday, Nov. 12 - 5 p.m. ET
- SF #2, Friday, Nov. 12 - 7:30 p.m. ET
Bronze medal game
- Sunday, Nov. 14 - 12:30 p.m. ET
Gold medal game
- Sunday, Nov. 14 - 3:30 p.m. ET
The University of Victoria women's field hockey team will look to defend their 2018 and 2019 national championship titles in Ontario, against the OUA Champion in a best-of-three series for the 2021 U Sports crown.
Victoria captured their third straight Canada West championship with a 1-0 victory over the UBC Thunderbirds to secure their spot in the final.
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues denied the Guelph Gryphons their bid for a second straight OUA title and will now host the 2021 U sports field hockey championship.
Watch the U Sports women's championship series between the Victoria Vikes and the University of Toronto Varsity Blues beginning on Friday at 6 p.m. ET on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
Women's field hockey competition schedule
- Game 1 - Friday, Nov. 12 - 6 p.m. ET
- Game 2 - Saturday, Nov. 13 - TBD
- Game 3, if necessary, Sunday Nov.14 - TBD (best-of-3 series)
The national championships each year will be evenly split between men's and women's sports. CBC Sports carried six national championships live in the 2019-20 season.
U Sports championship schedule
Fall sports
- Women's rugby, Nov. 10-14
- Women's field hockey, Nov. 12-14
- Men's soccer, Nov. 18-21
- Women's soccer, Nov. 18-21
- Men's and women's cross-country, Nov. 20
Winter sports
- Men's and women's wrestling, Feb. 25-26
- Men's and women's swimming, Feb. 25-27
- Men's and women's track and field, Mar. 10-12
- Women's basketball, Mar. 10-13
- Men's basketball, Mar. 11-13
- Men's and women's curling, Mar. 15-19
- Men's hockey, Mar. 17-20
- Women's hockey, Mar. 24-27
- Men's volleyball, Mar. 25-27
- Women's volleyball, Mar. 25-27
