Castaways, Vikes have date in rugby quarters

The Canadian national team rugby roster is littered with players who have come out of the Castaway-Wanderers and University of Victoria Vikes programs.

The teams will renew their rivalry on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the all-Island first round of the B.C. Men’s Premier League playoffs at Windsor Park.

It is a reprise of the regular-season finale in which UVic, torrid of late, won its eighth consecutive game with a 32-31 victory over CW at Windsor Park (an incorrect scoreline appeared in Sunday’s print edition).

Fourth-seed CW (13-7) finished with the better overall record, and hoisted the Barnard Cup as the top Island team, but fifth-seed UVic (11-9) won both regular-season meetings between the clubs.

“This has been a great competition between our teams and you could not have a better build-up to the playoff game,” said CW manager Brent Johnston.

“In the old days, we might have thought of UVic as being student competition. But the Vikes are dangerous. They are big, strong, well-coached men.”

The sixth-seed James Bay Athletic Association (10-10) will be away to third-seed Burnaby Lake (13-7) in another opening-round playoff quarter-final on Saturday. Lower Mainland-side UBC Thunderbirds and UBCOB Ravens both finished the regular season at 17-3, with the Thunderbirds earning the top seed, because of more bonus points for tries scored.

The B.C. Premier semifinals are April 28 and the championship game, for the Rounsefell Cup, is May 5 at a venue to be determined.

Ninth-place Westshore (6-14) and 11th-place Nanaimo (3-17) finished out of the B.C. Premiership playoffs.