Throughout CDI Premier League play this season Castaway Wanderers billed itself a ruggernaut, punning off juggernaut, defined by Webster's as: any large, overpowering force or object.
Saturday, the local club lived up to its nickname.
Castaway Wanderers (CW) outscored UVic 24-5 in the second half to end the Vikes' hopes of a second straight Rounsefell Cup final appearance, running away with a 38-18 CDI Premier League semifinal win at Windsor Park.
CW led 14-13 at half time.
“It kills me to say it but I think they were probably a bit hungrier,” a disconsolate Vikes captain Pat Riordan said after. “We spent a lot of time defending in our end; I don't think we had the ball much in the second half at all.”
Suffocating defence and gang tackling handcuffed UVic's run-and-gun passing game and led to Vikes turnovers which CW exploited at critical moments.
And it led to missed tackles by the Vikes and mental mistakes which cost UVic dearly after intermission.
"You'd have to do a lot of good things to beat that team," Vikes head coach Doug Tate said. "That's a quality team."
Early in the second stanza, Vikes were awarded a scrum near the CW goal line after a Wanderers back mishandled a missed Nate Hirayama penalty goal, only to lose possession when a penalty was awarded CW after Vikes forwards failed to release from a ruck.
Then the Vikes were pinned in their own end, defending heroically, only to lose possession on a UVic lineout that led to a penalty kick which CW fullback Paul Buckley converted, opening a 17-13 lead.
Shortly after the ensuing kickoff, CW flanker Chauncey O'Toole broke two tackles near mid-field to set up another grinding series of possessions, which led to a CW forward crossing over for the home side in a maze of supine bodies.
CW inside centre Mike Scholz scored next on a grinding possession in the UVic end, followed by a UVic try by Andrew Tiedemann off of UVic's only sustained pressure of the second half.
Then Scholz scored again, capitalizing on another series of missed tackles by the Vikes.
“They're a well-oiled machine,” Riordan added.
“You could see they were well drilled. Maybe that's having a couple of weeks off where they didn't play in the semi final; maybe it's not having guys in exams and moving to Vancouver…but that's just an excuse. They're a good team, and full credit to them. “
UVic 6-0 in the early going after two penalty goals by Nate Hirayama, including a booming 51-metre effort.
Man of the match Chauncey O'Toole scored on a brilliant 25-metre break for CW's first score of the match. Shortly after, CW prop Scott Franklin scored off a second phase ball deep in UVic territory.
Vikes right winger Beau Parker then intercepted a CW lateral and ran 55 metres down the far sideline for UVic's only try in the first half.
“I think the difference was our fitness and we finally settled down and did what we've been doing all year,” Castaways captain Matt Weingart said after. “Our defense was huge, but it starts with the fitness.
“If we wouldn't have worked as hard as we did all year, we wouldn't have had the fitness to actually put the defense in for the last 40 minutes.”
Castaway Wanderers travel to the lower mainland next Saturday to contest the Rounsefell Cup final against the winner of the Melanoma-UBC Old Boys match.
A win there would prove the club, which last won a B.C. title 10 seasons ago, is indeed a ruggernaut in 2011.