Tale of the Weekend
 
VICTORIA – The UVic Vikes men's rugby team will be hoping that a change in scenery brings about positive results when they return to Victoria to play James Bay at Wallace Field on February 4.
 
Getting underway at 2:30 pm, the game features two teams that know each other extremely well. The Vikes and James Bay have met three times already this season, with the series split evenly at 1-1-1.
 
"It's going to be tough, even though this is a home game for us it's still going to be tough," said Vikes assistant coach Rick Farrally. "They've got some really good players, so we are going to have our hands full."
 
While the Vikes and James Bay split the three games they played during the Island Premier season, it was James Bay that had the more successful fall, capturing the Barnard Cup as Island champions.
 
Last Time Out
 
A much-improved performance didn't yield a better result for the Vikes last weekend. Despite stepping up to the plate defensively the team couldn't capitalize on their scoring chances in a 17-15 loss to Capilano RFC.
 
"I thought we played really well defensively against the Caps. It wasn't easy, they have big guys and came at us hard but we kept our shape," said Farrally. "I was happy with that, despite losing the game. We should have won it but we didn't."
 
The loss dropped the Vikes to 0-2, but they still have plenty of time to recover from their tough early schedule with six games left to play in the B.C. Premier League season.
 
James Bay is also coming into the game on the heels of a loss, after they were defeated 28-9 by Burnaby Lake.
 
"They lost last week in Vancouver, so they're not going to be happy about that, I'm sure they're going to be motivated to come at us hard," said Farrally. 
 
Coach's Take
Rick Farrally, Vikes assistant coach
 
"We are up hill from here on out, there are no easy games for us. Every game is going to be tough, especially because of the commitments some of our players have to the national team."
 
"Being on the ferry two weeks in a row is a bit of a grind, but now we only have two trips left."
 
Game Information
 
Saturday, Feb. 4 – 2:30 p.m. – vs. James Bay, Wallace Field Victoria, B.C. – Buy tickets at govikesgo.com/tickets