The UVic Vikes men’s rugby team moved one step closer to a Barnard Cup birth on Saturday, Nov. 7, holding off a late surge from Castaway-Wanderers to take a 25-12 victory.

Despite missing some key players currently representing team Canada in Japan, the win puts the Vikes in second place in their division heading into a face-off with first place James Bay next weekend.

The Vikes started strong, with Ryan Hamilton crashing over the line off an inside pass to clinch the early lead. Vikes fullback Thomas Brody continued his torrid scoring pace, slotting the convert, and later made a penalty kick from inside the 22-meter line following a high tackle. Brody leads the Vancouver Island Rugby Union in scoring.

Off a lineout, Straun Robertson extended the Vikes lead, fighting his way for a final try before the end of the half. The convert kick was not successful, leaving the Vikes with a 15-0 lead going into the second half.

UVic continued on a steady course, starting the second half with a quick try by Gareth Morrey-Jones, with their lead extending further after a successful conversion kick. This dominance soon disappeared as the Castaways offensive game picked up.

The Castaways quickly responded, with Feasitu Inoke scoring a hard fought try off a lineout and continued to apply the pressure through out the second half. The Vikes caught a break, receiving a penalty kick to extend their lead by another three points, relieving some pressure from the Castaway onslaught.

The penalty kick was quickly followed by another Castaway try courtesy of Doug Middleton, changing the momentum back in the Castaways favour, sparking a relentless barrage of attack against the Vikes.

The Vikes defense ultimately held strong, stifling the Castaways attack for the rest of the match. This was helped by a few key errors from the Castaways deep within the UVic 22, including a knock-on from scrum half Kyle Armstrong just meters away from the line.

“We really need to focus on playing a full 80 minutes of rugby,” said UVic men’s rugby head coach Doug Tate when asked about the loss of form in the second half.

The 25-12 win came as a refreshing change, as it was their first victory over the Castaways since September of last year.

The Vikes face another challenge next week, facing off against Vancouver Island Rugby Union (VIRU) leading James Bay on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2:45 p.m.