University of Victoria head coach Doug Tate can only look to his bench today and sigh as his Vikes take on Capilano in a Canadian Direct Insurance sa国际传媒 Premier Rugby League game at 2: 45 p.m. at Wallace Field.
Sitting there will be injured Adam Kleeberger, whose beard cut quite a swath through the 2011 World Cup, and injured standouts Sean Duke and Nathan Hirayama, who paced sa国际传媒 to the gold medal in sevens at the 2011 Pan American Games.
"All three are close to returning . . . probably within a month," said Tate, almost with a sense of relief.
"On the plus side, Adam [Kleeberger] is a veteran who leads by example and has helped me this year coach the younger guys. He's not overly big. But pound for pound, he's one of the best players I've seen. And he has some very good ideas and leads by example."
The good news is that Vikes dynamo Phil Mack, captain of the Canadian sevens team, returns to the UVic lineup after nearly a year off due to injury.
Mack was also missing last week, because of sa国际传媒 provincial team duties, as UVic opened the Premier season with a 27-5 loss to the Meralomas in Vancouver.
It won't get any easier today for the depleted Vikes.
The Caps are the defending Rounsefell Cup sa国际传媒 Premier champions and will give the Vikes much to think about after opening last week with a comprehensive 32-6 dismantling of Bayside.
"The Caps are a very strong club that went on a tour of France over the late summer, and should be in season form," acknowledged Tate.
"[Caps head coach and UVic grad] Tom Larisch has this program on the rise."
Meanwhile, the Castaway Wanderers from Oak Bay open the 2012-13 season today at Burnaby Lake while James Bay Athletic Association debuts in Vancouver against the Meralomas.
Head coach Pete Rushton's JBAA squad will be captained by the steady veteran Spencer Dalziel while 2007 Canadian World Cup captain Morgan Williams is always a factor on the Bays' back line. Nolan Miles will be looking to build on his breakout 2011-12 season while Canadian international Connor Braid is a potential game-changer every time he kicks or handles the ball.
