Game report brought to you by Bad Boy:
Our ever-improving Premier team lead the UVic Vikings by a score of 16-11 with no time remaining on the clock when the home team scored to steal the win on the last play of the game.
It was a heart-breaking loss for the young Sean White-coached squad which did a lot of things right in a game that was theirs to win.
UVic opened the scoring early in the first half to jump into a 3-0 lead after a penalty against the Bays for being offside. Moments later, Tom Burton raced in for a try after a series of successful forward possessions put the Vikings on their back foot, giving the Bays a 5-3 leg up. Back and forth action was highlighted by vigorous defence by both teams and exciting backline movements that had the spectators fully engaged. JBAA’s hooker Austin Creighton was perfect on the day with his line-out throws, going 16/16 in difficult windy conditions, mixing Shea Wakefield, Andrew Montgrand and big Jim de Goede as his targets. UVic, on the other hand were rubbish with their line outs but had the edge in set pieces. A tally against the flow by the always-dangerous student backline gave UVic an 8-5 lead before a Burton penalty knotted the score at double snowmen to end the half.
The second half was very similar to the first with even-steven possession and nether squad gaining the upper hand. A UVIC penalty at 5 minutes was matched by Burton at 18 minutes. 11-11. With 9 minutes remaining in the game a well-constructed try after multiple possessions saw big Shea Wakefield dive in for a try in the corner. Burton barely missed the difficult conversion to give the visitors a 16-11 lead with time winding down. Multiple penalties against JBAA for collapsed scrums set the stage for the final score of the game, allowing the home team to steal the last-minute victory. Special mention to #7 Jake Slobodian and #8 Alex Jordan who made their presence felt throughout the day.
Following the game the university splurged on their hosting budget, delivering pizzas to the sideline benches and heading off into the mist with nary a glance backward, their healthy endowment fund solidly intact.
Congrats to the guys on their continued improvement throughout the season and their gutsy performance today.