Langley, BC – The University of Victoria men's rugby team dominated Trinity Western University 45-24 to grab their first win of the season on September 18.
Vikes dominate the CUMRC host in the first half.
- Trinity Western, the hosts of this year's Canadian University Men's Rugby Championships, were no match for the Vikes out of the gates as they broke off a big run by Spencer Cotie that was later punched into the try zone just three minutes into the match.
- The Spartans matched the Vikes' score with one of their own just six minutes after, bringing the score even at 7-7 early in the first half.
- After that Spartans' try, the Vikes went on a scoring run that resembled that of the squad that made it to the finals of the BC Premier League Playoff just a season ago. The Vikes 26-0 scoring run showed displays of speed, creativity, and power that the Spartans were not prepared for. The flurry of Vikes tries were scored by Ronin Smith, Reece Thompson, Jeffrey Young, and Alex Gamage.
Vikes' first-half scoring onslaught made an evenly fought second half no cause for concern.
- Greg Leitch opened the scoring in the second half as he caught a pass to the outside by Reece Thompson and dove into the try zone untouched to extend the Vikes' lead to 38-7.
- After a big day of kicking conversions, Michael Oughtred scored a try of his own as he avoided all the Spartan tacklers off of a well-executed play by Lachlan Crooks off a scrum.
Spartans began to score, but the lead was too large.
- Trailing 45-7, the Spartans began to find their offensive footing. TWU scored three consecutive tries to end the match, bringing the final score to 45-24 as the Vikes captured their first win of the season.
Notables:
- The Vikes are now 1-1 as they push to qualify for the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championships. To earn a bid, the Vikes must defeat the UBC Thunderbirds by more than 10 points in their upcoming matchup on Oct. 24.
The Vikes will return to action as they take on the Burnaby Lake Rugby Club on Sep. 26 in Burnaby, BC.
