VICTORIA, B.C. - After the final whistle at Wallace Field this Saturday, one of last year's BC Rugby Union Rounsefell Cup finalists will have lost two straight games.

UVic tackles Vancouver-based Meraloma on Saturday March 26 at 2:45 p.m. at Wallace Field in BCRU Premier League play.

“Coming back to the same field, they won't be happy,” Vikes Rugby head coach Doug Tate said of Meraloma which lost to the Vikes last May in the Rounsefell Cup BCRU championship 31-27.

Neither club was pleased with last weekend's result; the Vikes (1-3) fell 38-15 to Castaways Wanderers while Vancouver Meralomas (2-1-1) lost to UBC Old Boys Ravens.

And the Vikes will field a very different roster to the starting 15 that edged Meraloma just 10 months ago. Nathan Hirayama, Phil Mack and Sean Duke are at an international sevens event in Hong Kong, while No. 8 Cam Pierce is out with a broken nose.

As a result, the Vikes have been focusing on defence, systems and team play in practice this week.

“Defensively in the backs we have to be better, especially for outside runners and probably also just execution,” Tate said. “If we get opportunities to score, we have to come away with some points.”

Meraloma is a very physical team that emphasizes defence, according to Tate, entering the weekend with the fewest points against in the BCRU Premier League allowing 12.25 per game.  

As a result, UVic's vaunted wide-open game needs to be in overdrive Saturday.

“It's going to be moving the ball around, not trying to break down their defence - which is not going to be easy,” Tate said. “Our tactical kicking needs to be better in making them turn and getting them out of sync a bit.”

“It's more about us executing well, and that will probably take care of itself.”