VICTORIA, B.C. – At the end of day one of the third annual National University Sevens Rugby Championship at Westhills Stadium in Langford, B.C., the University of Victoria Vikes men's rugby team has gone undefeated to enter the quarterfinal round of the cup.
POOL STANDINGS /
SCHEDULE
In their first game of the day the Vikes took on Humber College and in typical, unpredictable sevens fashion, were down 12-0 to their eastern competitors. Although favored as one of the tournament's finalists, the Vikes found themselves flat-footed and surprised by Humber's two quick tries. After the break, the UVic men did an about-face and with several minutes of solid possession took the game 24-12.
In game two against the McMaster University Marauders, the Vikes ran the field to take the game 29-7 while their third game of the day, against the University of Alberta Golden Bears, UVic shutout the prairie competition 43-0.
In their final match of the day the Vikes had no intention of letting up and paced the University of Regina Cougars for a score of 46-0.
Solid performances by forwards
Nathan Yanagiya and
Liam Murray both defensively and offensively were key to the Vikes' day one success. The halfback pairing of
Jamie MacKenzie (Oakville, ON) and
Patrick Kay (Duncan, B.C.) was superb, doing a great job of orchestrating the play and creating space out wide for
Beau Parker (Vancouver, BC), Kane Wyatt (Shawnigan Lake, B.C.) and rookie Fergus Hall, all of whom contributed to the score sheet. Heading into the elimination round, the Vikes look to be in great shape.
Ranked number one going into the quarterfinal round of cup competition, the Vikes will once again face off against the University of Alberta, 11:43 a.m., Westhills Stadium, Langford, B.C.
