The divide between the elite and soon-to-be relegated teams was evident in last weekend’s CDI Premier League men’s rugby fixtures.
The UVic Vikes pummeled their neighbours, the still-proud Velox Valhallians, 43-3. The Valhallians are now winless through four games of the five-game qualifying round.
National team fly half Nathan Hirayama led the Vikes with two tries and four conversions in the win.
Both the Velox and the Vancouver Rowing Club will drop to the second-tier Okanagan Spring Brewery League’s first division.
In Pool B, the Castaway-Wanderers continued their magnificent run, drubbing the Bayside Sharks 52-28. CW got two tries from Mike Scholz and singles from Matt Buckley, Seamus Gay, Harold Williams, Kyle Gilmour and Evan Mallory.
National fullback Ciaran Hearn kicked seven conversions and one penalty for 17 points in his return to CW.
Two matches highlight Saturday (March 12) in Victoria, with the James Bay Athletic Association the easy favourite to defeat Abbotsford RFC at MacDonald Park.
Perhaps the CDI match of the week, were there such a thing, is CW hosting the Meralomas, a battle of first versus second in Pool B.
The Meralomas are second in Pool B, four points back of CW and nothing short of an absolute smashing of CW would pull the two even in the standings.
However, the match is the first of many tests of how strong CW are, as they have qualified with the Vikes, James Bay, UBC Old Boy Ravens and ’Lomas (among others) in the CDI Premier League set to start later this month.
Velox’s final Pool A match is a visit to Stanley Park against the equally struggling Rowing Club.
The Rowers, also 0-4, were scheduled to play James Bay last Saturday but defaulted two days prior to the event. James Bay won an automatic bonus point and are first overall in Pool A of the qualification round.
Game times are 2:45 p.m.