Tale of the Weekend
 
VICTORIA – The UVic Vikes men's rugby team will play their first game of 2018 this coming weekend, and there will be no easing into the second half of their B.C. Premier League schedule when they travel to Vancouver to take on their rivals, the UBC T-Birds on Saturday Jan. 27.
 
This will be the second leg in the annual rivalry series between the Vikes and T-Birds, as the two teams meet once again for the right to claim the Wightman Boot trophy. The T-Birds enter the game with one hand already grasping the trophy after they defeated the Vikes by a score of 44-24 in late September to enter this game with a 20-point advantage in the head-to-head series.
 
The game, scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start in Vancouver, will see the Vikes not only trying to pull off a comeback to capture the Boot, but to also upset a T-Birds team that holds a record of 10-2 and are currently first in the Premier League. The Vikes meanwhile, need to start compiling points if they want to be one of the six teams that make it to the Premier League playoffs. Their record of 3-8 currently has them tenth in the league, 12 points away from that final playoff spot.
 
UBC was the victor the last time these teams met, claiming the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship by a score of 37-12 in Guelph, ON. Vikes assistant coach Rick Farrally saw some improvement from his side during that game.
 
"We had about 12 minutes of really ferocious rugby against them in Guelph, where our guys really got some fire in their belly and started pushing them around a bit," said Farrally.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Vikes ended 2017 on a high-note, defeating Seattle by a score of 27-17 on Wallace Field. Gradyn Bowd led the way in that victory, putting up 22 points in the match.
 
UBC began the second half of their season last weekend with a dominant 52-12 victory over the last place Nanaimo Hornets. That win was the tenth in a row for a T-Birds side that has not lost since opening their schedule with back-to-back losses in early September.
 
By the Numbers
 
310: UBC holds the best point differential in the league, outscoring their opponents by a combined 310 points.
13: From 1997-98 to 2009-10, the Vikes won the Wightman Boot for 13 consecutive years.
 
Coach's Take
Rick Farrally, Vikes assistant coach
 
"It's been a long layoff, we've had some pretty good practices. The guys seem pretty fresh and motivated, there are a few guys carrying long-term injuries but generally we are pretty healthy."

"We lost a couple games right at the beginning of the season that we absolutely shouldn't have lost and that's disappointing, but we have a lot of fresh faces on our roster and we have to be patient with the young kids.We absolutely have to get going here and play better. We had some good moments in the first half but nothing consistent, we played better against Seattle right before the break so that was encouraging."
 
"I hope our guys are more up for the game than they were last time. We need to play a complete game against them because they are athletic and quick on the ball, we are going to look to be a little more physical this weekend."
  
Game Info
Saturday, Jan. 27 – 2:30 p.m. – at UBC T-Birds – Vancouver, B.C.
 
UBC (10-2-0)
Premier League Standings: 1
Bonus Points: 9
PF: 503
PA: 193
Streak: W 10