VICTORIA, B.C. – The University of Victoria Vikes men's rugby team will be back in action this Saturday, Jan. 31, as they host the James Bay Athletic Association on Wallace Field.
 
This will be the third time the two teams match up against each other and Saturday marks James Bay's first game of the 2015 year after the winter break. The rivals have played twice at MacDonald Park last fall, and the Vikes have known one 34-30 defeat on Sep. 13, and one 27-19 victory over the Bays on Oct. 4.
 
"James Bay is a team that won't give many chances for possession," said Doug Tate, Vikes men's rugby head coach. "Their forwards control the ball really well and they will be difficult to tackle."
 
Currently, UVic is second in the CDI Premier Standings, while James Bay ranks fifth with a 7-4-3 record. The Bays are led in statistics by fullback Elliot Mitrou with a total of 56 points (17 converts, 4 penalties), and also boast the talents of long-standing players Taylor Dalziel and Spencer Dalziel.
 
"At this stage of the season, teams near the bottom of the table will be working hard to move up the standings," Tate added. "James Bay are best in the league at penalizing mistakes, so we need to make sure we don't make too many unforced errors this weekend."
 
The Vikes will be forced to compete without fly half Guiseppe duToit and flanker Oliver Nott this weekend, but will rely on prop Macbryan Bos who leads the team with five tries scored in eight games played. Winger Luck McCloskey and centre Doug Fraser will be key in driving momentum on the field.
 
Kick off is set for 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 at Wallace Field.