STANFORD-Just before the beginning of the second half of the collegiate national championship, one fan had some telling advice for the Cal rugby team.

"More of the same."

Indeed, the Bears dismantled Brigham Young in the first half Saturday, and the second half was rendered a formality in their 59-7 victory over the second-seeded Cougars in front of 3,741 at Steuber Rugby Stadium.

Top-seeded Cal claimed its fifth consecutive title, its 17th in the last 18 years and its 24th in the last 29 years.

And so, the dynasty continues.

"It can't get boring," senior flanker Rikus Pretorius said. "Today was a great performance, and we played really well. Our team is talented, but we played a great game."

After the match, Pretorius's teammates hoisted him on their shoulders after he was named the weekend's Most Valuable Player.

Pretorius, the team captain, didn't score in the championship match, but he was instrumental to his team's success throughout the match-and for the entire season.

What's more impressive is that Pretorius and the other graduating seniors never lost a postseason match in their entire collegiate careers.

"Complete euphoria," he said.

The Bears defeated the Cougars in the last two championships, edging them by three points in 2006 and by 30 points last year, when BYU's only try came in the 79th minute.

This match was a repeat.

The Cougars' only points came when junior Steve St. Pierre touched down in the 68th minute and junior Sam Thorley nailed the ensuing conversion.

That try was a consolation.

Cal (24-1) was methodical in its approach, not only keeping BYU (14-5) out of the try zone for most of the match but also limiting its opportunities inside the 22-meter line.

The team was a dynasty at work.

Junior wing Ryan Taylor scored 20 points on four tries, including one less than a minute into the second half. Junior flyhalf Keegan Engelbrecht went 7-for-9 on conversions, finishing with 14 points.

Their efforts highlighted 52 unanswered points in the first 59 minutes.

"Our plan was to attack them in the midfield, and we knew the space would open up," senior eightman Louis Stanfill said. "We attacked the space, and we got tries. And that Taylor, what a hell of a game."

The Bears led 40-0 after a hell of a half.

Sophomore prop James Besser scored in the fourth minute on the team's opening drive, and Taylor scored one of his two first-half tries just five minutes later.

Then, after 16 minutes of back-and-forth action, Cal extended its lead when senior hooker Joe Welch caught a pass from senior center Gary Golding and crossed the try line.

The team scored six of its nine tries before the break.

"We had a very good start to the game, a lot of control," said coach Jack Clark, who collected his 20th title in 25 years with the Bears. "I don't think we turned over a ball, and we stayed on the right side of the referee. We controlled our position on the field, and that put a lot of pressure on them. The first few tries really made it hard for them."

One of BYU's few surges towards the try zone was stopped late in the half, when Pretorius kicked the ball upfield, leading to a try by junior lock Julian Snellgrove in the 35th minute.

Because of its depth, Cal was able to rest some of its players during a more difficult 41-31 victory over fifth-seeded Saint Mary's in Friday's semifinal.

Just 26 hours later, the Bears simply dominated.

"Championship games bring out different things in different teams," Taylor said, holding the trophy.

For Cal, it brought out more of the same.

Tags: RUGBY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP