... for spectators (cool, breezy and wet). Meanwhile, Army will present a stiff challenge for the Bears.
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Rugby today: weather may be a factor ...
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Last: 2 yr ago by TomBear
Please keep us updated Chalcid!
"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
Live stream at: https://calbea.rs/2QwA3fH
Some hardy Bears there braving the rain and wind . . . including the Cal Band!
But at least the sun has finally come out.
19 - 7 after one period
GO BEARS!
But at least the sun has finally come out.
19 - 7 after one period
GO BEARS!
"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
There were a ton of rugby fans on my flight from San Diego to Oakland this morning!
With 8 minutes remaining, the Bears lead 31 - 14 over West Point.
"Cults don't end well. They really don't."
Well, as advertised, it was cold, breezy, wet ... and a extremely tough game for the Bears.
Army came into this game ranked higher than Cal, and that showed in the beginning of the game. Army had first possession and muscled the ball downfield for the first score of the game. Cal responded with a try of it's own, but it was hard sledding all the way. The Bears notched a second try, and then a third try just before halftime, so at that point the score was 19-7.
I thought that that third try was the turning point and we'd just roll from the get go in the 2nd half, but I was wrong. Army in fact scored next, putting us at 19-14, and so we were back to having a slug fest. But then Army's magnificent play began to fall apart, while Cal put up two more tries, to give the final score of 31-14.
Army's dudes were big and quick. I thought they'd dominate in the scrums, but those turned out to be relatively even (IMO). OTOH, Army was GREAT in the lineouts - I think we got the ball away from them only twice while, if memory serves, they broke up or stole a couple of ours as well. Army's passing was superb (while I thought Cal's passing lacked zip, sometimes costing us yardage), and in defense, Army always seemed to have a lot of players around the ball. Cal however had backs with speeds much quicker than those of Army, and we had a few really nice runs. In the beginning of the game, it took a lot of players to bring down Army ball carriers, but that changed as the game progressed. Cal was also restricted by a lot of dropped balls and the like - don't know if it was the weather or the threat of impending defenders coming up fast, but Cal's offense definitely sputtered many times. OTOH, our defense continued to be great.
I only saw 1 injury on the field - an Army player with some type of leg injury. The second teams played, but I didn't hang around for that, although maybe I should have, cause the sun came out then and it was beginning to look glorious. Kudos to the Cal Straw Hat band and cheerleaders for showing up. And it was great to finally meet up with Tom and Ken at the game - hope you guys enjoyed the second game.
Army came into this game ranked higher than Cal, and that showed in the beginning of the game. Army had first possession and muscled the ball downfield for the first score of the game. Cal responded with a try of it's own, but it was hard sledding all the way. The Bears notched a second try, and then a third try just before halftime, so at that point the score was 19-7.
I thought that that third try was the turning point and we'd just roll from the get go in the 2nd half, but I was wrong. Army in fact scored next, putting us at 19-14, and so we were back to having a slug fest. But then Army's magnificent play began to fall apart, while Cal put up two more tries, to give the final score of 31-14.
Army's dudes were big and quick. I thought they'd dominate in the scrums, but those turned out to be relatively even (IMO). OTOH, Army was GREAT in the lineouts - I think we got the ball away from them only twice while, if memory serves, they broke up or stole a couple of ours as well. Army's passing was superb (while I thought Cal's passing lacked zip, sometimes costing us yardage), and in defense, Army always seemed to have a lot of players around the ball. Cal however had backs with speeds much quicker than those of Army, and we had a few really nice runs. In the beginning of the game, it took a lot of players to bring down Army ball carriers, but that changed as the game progressed. Cal was also restricted by a lot of dropped balls and the like - don't know if it was the weather or the threat of impending defenders coming up fast, but Cal's offense definitely sputtered many times. OTOH, our defense continued to be great.
I only saw 1 injury on the field - an Army player with some type of leg injury. The second teams played, but I didn't hang around for that, although maybe I should have, cause the sun came out then and it was beginning to look glorious. Kudos to the Cal Straw Hat band and cheerleaders for showing up. And it was great to finally meet up with Tom and Ken at the game - hope you guys enjoyed the second game.
Cal started 4 freshmen and they played well! Good for the future.
From what I saw, Army was the real deal.
Cal was just realer and did the deed.
Cal was just realer and did the deed.
Operbear
Just got home. Much better drive than last week's 10 hour marathon.
Chalcid's account is good. I'll add a couple of notes here. (BTW, it was great to meet you, Chalcid! Moraga calls in a few weeks).
As Chalcid noted, Cal committed several players to tackles early in the match, then seemed to settle back down as the match progressed. In rugby, it can be dangerous to commit multiple players to a takedown because it leaves voids which can give the offense overload situations. But you really can't blame either team for having to commit multiple players because both teams have size. Army's guys were big. But more importantly, they were well coached (as would be expected). Their runners ran low and had good leverage. Both teams showed evidence of hard work in the weightroom. And Army never gave you the sense they were tired, although both teams had to do some substitutions in the second half.
Cal's subs really showed well. Coach Clark manages his personnel as well as anyone in rugby. He makes sure that when there is a "next man up" situation, that man is prepared and equipped to perform at the high level of the player he replaces. Those early season starting lineups featuring reserves paid off in this one, which is what they are intended to do.
Both teams had some nice set kicking. Schmacher (a later hero), was his usual reliable self. And the Black Knights set kicker was very good (hit a very difficult conversion and impressed us all).
For another week, Cal's lineout play confounded me. As Chalcid pointed out, the Black Knights are VERY well coached (remember, their coach is a former Bear and Eagle) and they executed the lineouts about as well as I've ever seen in collegiate rugby. This is an area I'm very sure Coach Clark will be addressing. Ruck play and set scrums were well contested by both sides.
Army made a desperate surge as the game was winding down. They managed two trys, both of which were declined. From where Chalcid and I were sitting, we couldn't really see what happened (distant corner), but I remarked that the scoring player for Army was probably held up, and that was what happened. Recall that I said Shumacher was a "hero" earlier......apparently he managed, somehow, to prevent the Army player from touching the ball down. I have no idea how he managed that feat. It took a herculean effort on at least one of the two declined trys to do it because I recall one of the trys seemed almost impossible to stop. But Schu is a great player (wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have a good shot at being an Eagle once his college career ends). In talking with a few parents of players after the match, it seems Max did this twice. If so, that had a HUGE affect on the outcome of the match. Also, Schu was a very active participant in the offensive attack for Cal. As a fullback, he was really aggressive getting ball and advancing with positive yardage that helped the overall Cal attack bigtime. Newall was terrific........I mean the whole Cal team put in the needed effort.
A really good crowd for a day that looked for all the world as if it would be miserable before kickoff. And Cal Straw Hat Band showed up!!! Not only did they sound terrific, but they added some nice vocal support. And it looks to me like the bass drummers have some new sticking routines. I could actually see the sticking and it looked awesome. Hope they come back for a semifinal.
Army's ball distribution was very good. And as Chalcid presumed, there were a few Cal drops that HAD to be the result of seeing a massive Army tackler just ahead. But the Black Knights were confronted with the same problem, and Cal's forwards ran with punishing authority as well.
This was just plain fun rugby.
BTW one correction (and this may be my fault). Chalcid said Army was rated higher than Cal. Army was last year's national champion. But at this point of the season, Cal is ranked #4 and Army is ranked #8. I may have confused Chalcid with some incorrect info, so I'll take responsibility for the error.
Who's number 1? NAVY. And that's who the Bears play next Saturday AT Annapolis. The Bears then return home for the bruiser against #6 St. Marys before finishing off with #7 BYU.
I have been told the Cal vs. Navy game will be televised on "The Rugby Network". Not sure what time (west coast) it begins, so check out calbears.com/rugby for info.
BTW, in the second (reserve) match Cal defeated Army 24-17. Both teams are deep, and are likely to be contenders for the national championship for the next few years if not more.
A couple of significant other scores to pass along:
#6 St. Marys defeated #7 BYU in Moraga 23-18. And Grand Canyon defeated Utah IN UTAH 49-12. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Grand Canyon is a team on the rise and one to watch out for. Their time is coming. This victory over Utah comes as they are rated #14 already. They are going to be a force.
Chalcid's account is good. I'll add a couple of notes here. (BTW, it was great to meet you, Chalcid! Moraga calls in a few weeks).
As Chalcid noted, Cal committed several players to tackles early in the match, then seemed to settle back down as the match progressed. In rugby, it can be dangerous to commit multiple players to a takedown because it leaves voids which can give the offense overload situations. But you really can't blame either team for having to commit multiple players because both teams have size. Army's guys were big. But more importantly, they were well coached (as would be expected). Their runners ran low and had good leverage. Both teams showed evidence of hard work in the weightroom. And Army never gave you the sense they were tired, although both teams had to do some substitutions in the second half.
Cal's subs really showed well. Coach Clark manages his personnel as well as anyone in rugby. He makes sure that when there is a "next man up" situation, that man is prepared and equipped to perform at the high level of the player he replaces. Those early season starting lineups featuring reserves paid off in this one, which is what they are intended to do.
Both teams had some nice set kicking. Schmacher (a later hero), was his usual reliable self. And the Black Knights set kicker was very good (hit a very difficult conversion and impressed us all).
For another week, Cal's lineout play confounded me. As Chalcid pointed out, the Black Knights are VERY well coached (remember, their coach is a former Bear and Eagle) and they executed the lineouts about as well as I've ever seen in collegiate rugby. This is an area I'm very sure Coach Clark will be addressing. Ruck play and set scrums were well contested by both sides.
Army made a desperate surge as the game was winding down. They managed two trys, both of which were declined. From where Chalcid and I were sitting, we couldn't really see what happened (distant corner), but I remarked that the scoring player for Army was probably held up, and that was what happened. Recall that I said Shumacher was a "hero" earlier......apparently he managed, somehow, to prevent the Army player from touching the ball down. I have no idea how he managed that feat. It took a herculean effort on at least one of the two declined trys to do it because I recall one of the trys seemed almost impossible to stop. But Schu is a great player (wouldn't surprise me if he doesn't have a good shot at being an Eagle once his college career ends). In talking with a few parents of players after the match, it seems Max did this twice. If so, that had a HUGE affect on the outcome of the match. Also, Schu was a very active participant in the offensive attack for Cal. As a fullback, he was really aggressive getting ball and advancing with positive yardage that helped the overall Cal attack bigtime. Newall was terrific........I mean the whole Cal team put in the needed effort.
A really good crowd for a day that looked for all the world as if it would be miserable before kickoff. And Cal Straw Hat Band showed up!!! Not only did they sound terrific, but they added some nice vocal support. And it looks to me like the bass drummers have some new sticking routines. I could actually see the sticking and it looked awesome. Hope they come back for a semifinal.
Army's ball distribution was very good. And as Chalcid presumed, there were a few Cal drops that HAD to be the result of seeing a massive Army tackler just ahead. But the Black Knights were confronted with the same problem, and Cal's forwards ran with punishing authority as well.
This was just plain fun rugby.
BTW one correction (and this may be my fault). Chalcid said Army was rated higher than Cal. Army was last year's national champion. But at this point of the season, Cal is ranked #4 and Army is ranked #8. I may have confused Chalcid with some incorrect info, so I'll take responsibility for the error.
Who's number 1? NAVY. And that's who the Bears play next Saturday AT Annapolis. The Bears then return home for the bruiser against #6 St. Marys before finishing off with #7 BYU.
I have been told the Cal vs. Navy game will be televised on "The Rugby Network". Not sure what time (west coast) it begins, so check out calbears.com/rugby for info.
BTW, in the second (reserve) match Cal defeated Army 24-17. Both teams are deep, and are likely to be contenders for the national championship for the next few years if not more.
A couple of significant other scores to pass along:
#6 St. Marys defeated #7 BYU in Moraga 23-18. And Grand Canyon defeated Utah IN UTAH 49-12. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Grand Canyon is a team on the rise and one to watch out for. Their time is coming. This victory over Utah comes as they are rated #14 already. They are going to be a force.
Thanks for the additional coverage Tom. One more thing about Army though: I never stay to watch the "reserves" play in the 2nd match, but I take note of the final scores afterwards, and typically those scores are even more lopsided in Cal's favor than that first teams. But if Cal won the second game by a mere single try, then that means that Army's depth is just as great as ours, another sign that they are the real deal.
Precisely. Same will be true of Navy although as far as I know there will not be a reserve grade match in Annapolis.
There will be a reserve grade match at St. Marys and I expect that will be close as well.
There will be a reserve grade match at St. Marys and I expect that will be close as well.
The Pac-12.com site shows the match at Navy to be 9:30am (Pac-12 network NOT streaming --- I'll be checking in on The Rugby Network to see if/when they announce streaming coverage.)TomBear said:
I have been told the Cal vs. Navy game will be televised on "The Rugby Network". Not sure what time (west coast) it begins, so check out calbears.com/rugby for info.
Another interesting point about the Navy match is that this will only be their 2nd match of the season.
Wow, practice all season and only now have your second match . . . those Middies must be dedicated.YamhillBear said:
Another interesting point about the Navy match is that this will only be their 2nd match of the season.
They are, Hearst. Their program is definitely ascending. They are STILL rated #1 based on their fall schedule, and competition in the Rugby East conference.
Yamhill, the game will be the featured game on The Rugby Network. I heard Peacock thrown around a lot this weekend. I don't know whether people were saying Rugby Network is part of Peacock or if Peacock is picking up a feed to broadcast.
I am hoping to find a stream of the Army vs. CWU game on Wed. That will be another great match.
Yamhill, the game will be the featured game on The Rugby Network. I heard Peacock thrown around a lot this weekend. I don't know whether people were saying Rugby Network is part of Peacock or if Peacock is picking up a feed to broadcast.
I am hoping to find a stream of the Army vs. CWU game on Wed. That will be another great match.
Lots of eastern teams, including Navy play most of their season in the fall due to weather, etc.
OT a bit - Anyone else watch the HSBC Rugby 7s tournament in Toronto this weekend? Same teams were in LA two weeks ago, and now off to Hong Kong and then Europe. The usual teams are dominating (Go All Blacks and Black Ferns!). The Eagles struggled and we all know why traditionally. Yet, we have been building for awhile and with a handful of college teams like Cal, you would "think" we would show some improvement? Rugby is growing in America and so I suppose we are hoping to evolve in time internationally. The Eagles were very athletic and motivated, but obviously lack the skills (especially tackling) that may be required to move to the next level. I would love to hear some opinion. Go Bears!
Tom: Here is a link for Army v CWU on YouTube (note to all, that match is 3pm PT today Wednesday 3/8)TomBear said:
They are, Hearst. Their program is definitely ascending. They are STILL rated #1 based on their fall schedule, and competition in the Rugby East conference.
Yamhill, the game will be the featured game on The Rugby Network. I heard Peacock thrown around a lot this weekend. I don't know whether people were saying Rugby Network is part of Peacock or if Peacock is picking up a feed to broadcast.
I am hoping to find a stream of the Army vs. CWU game on Wed. That will be another great match.
And thanks for confirming re: The Rugby Network, I see it listed there now! Sure has been a good season in terms of streaming live coverage of matches!
Ah, that makes sense!Chabbear said:
Lots of eastern teams, including Navy play most of their season in the fall due to weather, etc.
(Watching CWU v. Army) I've gotta say, watching rugby played on an (extended) football field is confusing as heck.
Thank you, Yamhill. I'll try to watch it tomorrow if I can.
SPOILER ALERT:.............CWU bested Army 36-14.
Despite Cal defeating Army 31-14, they fell to number 5 in the nation, with Life coming in at 3 followed by Lindenwood at 4 this week.
1) Navy
2) Central Washington
3) Life
4) Lindenwood
5) Cal
6) St. Marys
7) Army
8) BYU
9) Arizona
10) Davenport
Life jumps 6 positions? There's an agenda here. But it will sort itself out in the coming 3 weeks.
SPOILER ALERT:.............CWU bested Army 36-14.
Despite Cal defeating Army 31-14, they fell to number 5 in the nation, with Life coming in at 3 followed by Lindenwood at 4 this week.
1) Navy
2) Central Washington
3) Life
4) Lindenwood
5) Cal
6) St. Marys
7) Army
8) BYU
9) Arizona
10) Davenport
Life jumps 6 positions? There's an agenda here. But it will sort itself out in the coming 3 weeks.
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