WALLACE FIELD – The UVic Vikes men's rugby team marked their return to Premier League action with a convincing 78-32 win over the Cowichan Piggies on Saturday afternoon.

The win was the Vikes' 12th straight against their Island rivals as they produced their highest offensive output since downing the Piggies 98-34 in 2006. In just two Premier League games this season, the Vikes have notched a total of 131 points.

The Vikes ran in 12 tries on the day but it was their winger #Nick Lubbe# who stole the spotlight with a four-try performance.

Canadian sevens freshman #Keaton Styles# opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock before UVic tries came courtesy of #David Spicer#, #Phil Mack#, #Andrew Tiedemann# and Lubbe.

Cowichan responded with four tries in the second half but their come back fell flat as Lubbe punched in three final tries to round out the scoring in the final minutes of play.

“We got off to a good start and then we started moving the ball wide,” Lubbe said. “We let them back in it in the second half but we managed to keep getting it wide and scoring tries.”

The Vikes will look to extend their 2-0 Premier League record when they head to the mainland next weekend to face off against '09 Ceili Cup Challenge finalists Vancouver Rowers. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:45pm at Brockton oval on Saturday, February 27th.

Scoring Summary
First Half: UVic Vikes 45, Cowichan Piggies 10
Final: UVic Vikes 78, Cowichan Piggies 32

UVic Vikes Scoring (78)
Tries: Nick Lubbe x4, David Spicer x2, Phil Mack x2, Keaton Styles, #Drew Langer#, Andrew Tiedemann, #Cam Pierce#
Conversions: David Spicer x5, Nathan Hirayama x4
Penalties: none

Cowichan Piggies Scoring (32)
Tries: John Dubiel, Andrew Wood, Adam Shouten, Jake Robinson, S. Williams
Conversions: Andrew Wood x2
Penalties: Andrew Wood