VICTORIA, B.C. - The University of Victoria Vikes men's rugby team carries their strong offensive start to the BC Rugby premier season into a match-up with the Castaway Wanderers at Wallace Field on Oct. 3 on their quest for the Barnard Cup. The Vikes moved to 2-0 to start the season following a 77-24 dismantling of Westshore RFC on Sept. 26.

STANDINGS
 
A great team performance on Sept. 26 was exemplified through a strong distribution of scorers against Westshore in a match where 12 different Vikes scored points. Winger Crosby Stewart had a pair of tries to increase his total to four on the season, while third-year Vikes fullback Fergus Hall added a try and five conversions. Both sides of the wing touched down for the Vikes on the day with fourth-year Kaprieli Vataiki following up Stewart's pair.

"Of the three games we will have played, this weekend will be the hardest test," said Vikes men's rugby head coach Doug Tate. "The (Vikes) have been starting off the game well, which is encouraging. Having a good start makes it easier on everyone in the line-up."
 
The strong offence shown by the Vikes against Westshore followed a positive defensive showing against James Bay Athletic Association in the first game of the season, Sept. 19, when they won 32-0. The Vikes have been getting good results on both sides of the field in attack and defence, racking up 109 points and conceding 24.
 
The Castaway Wanderers present an intriguing test for the Vikes as both teams have started their season 2-0 by beating both James Bay and Westshore. Both teams have scored upwards of 90 points and conceded less than 50 so far this season. The Wanderers are fresh off a close 28-20 victory over James Bay after opening their campaign on a positive note with a 62-28 win over Westshore.

The Wanderers' line-up features a number of former Vikes players such as winger Luke McLoskey, centre Doug Fraser and winger David Morgan, who were all features on the Vikes roster last season. Both sides present a line-up with a lot of speed down the wings.
 
The Vikes have a revamped back row this season after seven of 11 starters from the 2014 Barnard Cup championship squad graduated leaving the Vikes with a high turnover. In the short term, the rotations have helped the squad in games by allowing more players to see premier action this season. Long term, the rotations will only help the squad as depth becomes an advantage with a multitude of players seeing time on the field.

"We want to get as many players playing at that higher level as possible," said Tate, who also expects various national team committments to draw his players away periodically. "We've already had a few injuries at that position, so we've lucky enough to be pretty deep in that position."
 
The Vikes and Castaways will line up at 2:45 p.m. at Wallace Field on Oct. 3.