The University of B.C. Thunderbirds’ rugby team made life tough on themselves last March when they beat the University of Victoria Vikes in the Boot game for the first time in 10 years.

Last week the Vikes star-studded lineup of nationally carded athletes proved they have a good memory for these types of things.

And a good appetite as well, as the Vikes laid a 48-8 beating on the T-Birds in round one of the Wightman Boot Game. It was sweet retribution for the 10-5 win UBC squeaked out in game two of the annual series last spring.

UVic still managed to retain the Boot last season based on points aggregate, just as they are bound to do again this year, short of a miraculous transformation between now and the second leg, which will be played at UBC in March 2009.

Sandwiching their 48 points between a UBC penalty kick and a late try, the Vikes owned the mid-week afternoon tilt at Wallace Field.

Scrum half Nathan Hirayama led the scoring onslaught with a pair of tries and four conversions.

Also passing the touch line for UVic were Pat Riordan, Sean Duke, Mike Berg, Neil Meechan, Gordie Sawers and captain David Spicer.

The win continues UVic’s domination of the Boot game series with UBC, and put them in solid position to win it for a 17th time in 18 years.

This weekend is a much stronger test for the Vikes, as they face an improved Castaway-Wanderers side in Vancouver Island Rugby Union elite division play at Windsor Park in Oak Bay. Kickoff is 2:45 p.m. Saturday.

Did you know?

• The Wightman Boot, or simply “the Boot game,” is the annual home-and-home competition between the UVic and UBC rugby programs. The winner of the two-game, total-point series receives the prestigious Boot trophy.

• The Vikes have dominated the four-decade-old series and own a convincing 31-16 all-time series advantage. The Thunderbirds last claimed the Boot in 1997, and last season, despite winning the second game 10-5, came out on the short end of a 46-25 two-game total.

sports@vicnews.com