VICTORIA, B.C. – After winning the inaugural National University Rugby Sevens Championship in 2011 the University of Victoria Vikes men's rugby team is looking to make another play for the country's top varsity rugby sevens title, Mar. 1-2, at Westhills Stadium in Langford, B.C.
 
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE / LIVE VIDEO
 
Coming off of a successful showing at the Las Vegas Sevens Invitational, Feb. 7-9, as they went undefeated to win the cup, the Vikes are going into this weekend's tournament to reclaim the title after last year's unfortunate semifinal loss to eventual winners the University of Western Ontario.
 
Among the fifteen teams competing for the cup are newcomers Queen's University and Simon Fraser University, with UVic entering a second team into this year's tournament.
 
“We're heading into the tournament with the same team that won the Las Vegas Sevens,” said head coach of the Vikes, Doug Tate. “It's great that everybody's healthy, I think that we have a pretty good chance going into this thing.”
 
With the pace of players such as Beau Parker (Vancouver, BC) and Luke McCloskey (Victoria, B.C.) the Vikes are liking their chances. Although international sevens players Sean Duke (Vancouver, BC) and Nathan Hirayama (Richmond, BC) and Phil Mack (Victoria, BC) are unavailable due to injury the Vikes boast a talented roster that includes scrumhalf Jamie MacKenzie (Oakville, ON), who has returned to the team this year after spending time playing professionally overseas. 
 
In recent weeks, first-year additions Fergus Hall and Nathan Yanagiya (North Vancouver, BC) have both proved they have a knack for exploiting the opposition's defensive weaknesses and while a testament to the Vikes' commitment to player development they also demonstrate the depth of UVic's lineup.
 
Additionally, slotting in at flyhalf, sophomore Patrick Kay (Duncan, B.C.) has shown a flair for savvy play-making while the defensive efforts of veteran Remi Anctil (Vancouver, BC) will be key to keeping the Vikes in contention.    
 
The UVic Vikes men's rugby teams kick off at 9:22 a.m. and 10:28 a.m. against Royal Military College and Humber College, respectively. For $3.99 viewers can catch the tournament's online broadcast at www.rugbycanada.tv, with a live audio stream featuring event commentary available free of charge.
 
VIKES ROSTERS
 
Team 1
 
1. Remi Anctil
2. Nathan Yanagiya
3. Liam Chisholm
4. Dustin Dobravsky
5. Liam Murray
6. Jamie MacKenzie
7. Patrick Kay
8. Luke McCloskey
9. Kane Wyatt
10. Beau Parker
11. Fergus Hall
12. James Pitblado
 
Team 2
 
1. Adam Kleeberger
2. Doug Fraser
3. Lukas Balkovec
4. Hadyn Evans
5. Jonathan Lorimer
6. Keenan Horton
7. Issac Kaay
8. Robbie Anderson
9. Jeff Nishma-Miller
10. Vaughn Gaston
11. Dave Morgan
12. Connor Llewwllyn