The Martlet

A capitalizing defense saw the UVic Vikes defeat the Cowichan Piggies 27-0. Despite having the home field advantage last Saturday Oct. 4, Cowichan was unable to penetrate a full force UVic line-up.

Both sides were sloppy in the opening half as the dreary weather caused an abundance of knock-ons and poorly executed passes. Established rucks diminished into free-for-alls as players put their bodies on the line to regain possession.

Vikes Flanker John Moonlight was the first to open the scoring. After charging down a poorly timed Cowichan defensive clearance, he was able to link up with a tipped grubber by Nathan Hirayama. The try was successfully converted by Hirayama for a score of 7-0 in the Vikes’ favour.

Cowichan continued to press on despite their lack of fluid passes and miss-timed runs. With new addition Judsen Garside, the Piggies forward pack appeared to match the strength of their younger opponents. Their rucking was able to place them deep in the Vikes’ half.

Their efforts were annihilated by Team Canada veteran Dave Spicer’s clutch kicking in the Vikes’ 22, relieved the pressure on their defensive line.

UVic Coach Doug Tate commented after that match that his side was playing well defensively.

“That’s two games now where we haven’t allowed the opposition to score,” he said.

After several phases of penalties and mud sloshing play, Vikes’ centre Jordan Kozina was able to capitalize on a Cowichan deflection to increase their lead 12-0. Hirayama’s conversion and penalty minutes later would put the Vikes up 17-0.

The second half was much of the same story. UVic winger Gordie Sawers was able to break through the Piggies backline before Sean Duke snuck in the corner for the Vikes’ fourth try of the day.

Despite their display of strong defense and four tries run in, Coach Tate described his side’s performance as lack-lustre.

“We never really got on track today,” he said. “Credit to Cowichan for slowing the game down.”

After the Vikes crushed Velox last week by a margin of 46-15 it’s no wonder the Piggies opted to slow the pace of the match. Their back line was unable to compete with the speed and agility of a younger, craftier side.

With just 15 points scored against them all season, UVic are a strong threat against last year’s Barnard Cup Champions James Bay. They currently hold a perfect record with 3-0 going into their next match.