Even under a different name and after a one-year hiatus, nothing has changed. The Cal rugby team still dominates the postseason.
Facing off against the No. 7 seed Notre Dame, the No. 2 seed Bears got 13 tries from 10 different players en route to a 77-0 victory at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Md., Saturday afternoon.
The quarterfinal match of the inaugural eight-team Varsity Cup National Championship was Cal’s first playoff match — and win — in almost two years.
Three starters — flyhalf Russell Webb, wing Andrew Battaglia and center Jared Braun — did not make the trip for Cal due to injury, which gave the team an opportunity to feature a mixed lineup against Notre Dame. It also meant that some of Cal’s younger players had a chance to play in a postseason for the first time.
“I thought a lot of young guys played really big,” said sophomore Michael Bush, playing in his first postseason match. “It was a big game for us.”
Despite the infusion of youth, the Bears (20-0) were still led by some of their most experienced players. Lock Brendan Daly, No. 8 Danny Barrett and fullback Jake Anderson led the scoring with two tries each. And Anderson was 6-for-10 on conversions, giving him a total of 22 combined points.
The high-level play of Cal’s backups should come as no surprise. Despite losing starters Paul Bosco and Anthony Lombardo to injuries earlier in the year, Cal closed the regular season with wins in key matches. The Bears beat the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, held on against Utah at home and had a strong come-from-behind victory in their regular-season finale last week against St. Mary’s.
Cal’s strong play continued Saturday. The Bears had a 29-0 advantage after 40 minutes before extending their lead after halftime. For the third week in a row, the Bears scored a try five minutes or less into the second half. And Cal shut out an opponent for the ninth time this year.
“It is good to be back in the postseason,” said Bush, who played flanker against the Fighting Irish. “We have had our eyes on this date for four or five months now.”
Make that 12 months.
Last year, when the Bears fell to St. Mary’s, 20-18, in the team’s regular-season finale, their 15s rugby season was over. For a program with 26 national championships in 33 years, not making it past the regular season was a disappointment. But this year’s squad is back in a familiar position.
“It is obviously a great opportunity that we didn’t have last year,” said sophomore wing Jesse Milne, who scored a try in the second half. “And we are going to make the most of it.”
After Saturday, Cal needs only two more wins for another title. And with the Varsity Cup tournament featuring the winners of 31 of the last 33 collegiate national rugby championships, the task will not be easy.
“I think we are in a position to do well,” Bush said. “We are never satisfied in what we do.”
Stephen Hobbs covers rugby. Contact him at [email protected].