VICTORIA – Both the UVic Vikes men's and women's rugby teams will be looking to make some history this weekend when they compete in the University Seven's Championship in Langford, B.C. from March 17-18.
WOMEN'S SCHEDULE //
MEN'S SCHEDULE //
CHAMPIONSHIP SITE //
LIVE STREAM
The men will be trying to win their fifth University Seven's title in a row, while the women will be looking to carry forward the momentum they gained in a second place finish in the inaugural Canada West Sevens Series all the way to a national title.
"It will be interesting, there will be a couple teams that we haven't seen before," said men's head coach Douge Tate. "Some of the teams have been stuck training indoors so we have a big advantage there."
The men will once again have two teams competing in the championship with both the Vikes and the Norsemen taking part.
The defending champion Vikes are in Group A where they will play teams from Mount Royal University, the University of British Columbia Okanagan and the University of Regina. Once again the Vikes biggest challenge in the tournament is expected to come in the form of their biggest rivals: the UBC T-Birds.
"I think the team to beat last year was probably UBC and they are very strong again this year," said Tate. "They have some national team players and have a lot of speed."
The Norsemen are in Group C and will compete against teams for Trent University, the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan.
"The Norsemen are a good team, they are going to be a challenge for a lot of teams," said Tate. "I wouldn't want to play them in the semifinal: they have good balance, a lot of the guys are young and ready to go."
The women will get their championship underway with a big rivalry contest. They kick off their schedule with a game against the University of Calgary Dinos, the very same team that just edged out the Vikes to win both the Canada West 15's and 7's titles. Also in Group C with the Vikes and Dinos are the University of Regina and the University of York.
All three teams from UVic will start play on the morning of the 17: the Vikes women at 11:28 a.m., the Vikes men at 10:00 a.m., and the Norsemen at 11:28 a.m. The two tournaments will split their games between Goudy Field and Westhills Stadium in Langford.
