VICTORIA - The University of Victoria men's rugby team fell to the Pacific Pride, the Rugby Canada U23 development team, 52-12 Saturday, Sept. 10 after the Pride went up early and never relinquished their lead. 
 
The Pride scored in the fifth, 14th, 21st, and 36th minutes of the first half and added successful conversions to three of those tries to go into the break with a 26-0 lead.
 
The Pride scored first in the second half and converted, but the Vikes responded as Ethan Smith scored the first try of the season for the Vikes in the 56th minute. Smith switched to scrum-half after halftime from his customary fullback position and quickly made his mark by dummying a pass and then scampering 20 meters for the score. Second-year fly-half Alex Gamage added two more points with the conversion to make the score 33-7.
 
The Pride followed that with three scores in the 58th, 70th, and 76th minutes and two conversions, but the Vikes ended the game on a high note as second-half sub Angus Boyd-Porter scored a try with no time remaining in the left corner. The conversion was unsuccessful, leading to a final score of 52-12 for the Pride. 
 
The Vikes head to Trinity Western for their next match on Saturday, Sept. 16th as they look to avenge their first round loss to the Spartans in last year's Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship and notch their first win of the season.