Cal Rugby will continue a brutal end of year schedule tomorrow by playing #1 Navy in Annapolis.

The game is going to be streamed at 9AM on an app called "The Rugby Network". They cover professional rugby as well, and do a pretty good job of it. You do have to open an "account" to watch. So if you've not used "The Rugby Network" previously, get on the app early and sign up so you don't miss any of the match.

Navy plays a split season of 15s. They were impressive in the fall.....enough so that they are ranked number one in the nation despite only having played one match in the spring (a lopsided win over Western Ontario (Canada).

Meanwhile, Cal is undefeated and has been impressive in their performances. For those who have been concerned with Cal football's lack of offense in the last few years, here's a stat that might impress you: Cal has outscored it's opponents 664-65. As I've mentioned before, Coach Clark is a master at managing his personnel, and as far as I know, every player on the roster has had game-time experience this year. Pappy Waldorf used to do similar management to make sure if a player goes down, the next player up isn't overwhelmed by the experience. That was important last week against Army as the Bears were pretty beat up. I'm not sure about the health of the traveling squad, but that mix and match philosophy that Coach Clark uses assures that the men who take the pitch will be as ready as possible.

Both teams play hard nosed, (sometimes brutal) defense. Navy's stats for defensive efficiency are impressive. They have a 95% tackle efficiency. In their game against Western Ontario, the Mids kept the ball on the opponents side of the pitch for over 75% of the match!

I believe Cal's defensive efficiency is close to Navy's. Bears seldom miss tackles. And more often than not, the ferocity of the Bear defense helps to lead to the fitness factor where the Bears are often able to run down their opponent as the second half progresses. That didn't hold true last week against Army, and it is reasonable to expect Navy to be every bit as intense in their defense as Cal will be.

Again, game time is 9am. I have a link for you. Not sure this is "the link", but give it a try. Otherwise, look for "The Rugby Network" and simply follow the instructions. Game will be listed as the "Game of the Week".
https://www.therugbynetwork.com/videos/navy-vs-cal-d-1-a-men-match-of-the-week

tom, will jack clark ever agree to reclassify the rugby program to a club level to allow the inevitable cutting of teams in compliance with title ix due to financial mismanagement issues by the athletic director as this would allow for the reduction of 58 male counters & therefore a corresponding number of female athletes?

can the rugby program still compete for championships as a club sport?...how does the ncca vs club sport status affect the rugby program?

is jack tagging rugby prospects for academic preference wut's holding this up?...given that a majority of the roster is made up white kids from relatively affluent backgrounds, do you think they deserve favoritism for berkeley admissions?

did you know that clark back in the day promised to send me the financial documents re: the myth that rugby is financially not costing the department any dollars which is 100% not true but has never sent them to me?

has jack ever tole you his role in the dismantling the cal basketball program?

I hope not. Cal Rugby is the oldest and I believe the most successful program at Cal. Programs around the country are upping their commitment and competitive levels to match Cal, Navy, Army, Central Washington and other schools that not only give rugby varsity status, but in some cases also scholarships. They are financially stable, responsible, and Cal Rugby has contributed in other ways to the betterment of other Cal programs. Where other programs fly their athletes, Cal busses when they can. When other programs assist with setup for matches, Cal's players to the work. When other programs provide overnight accomodations, Cal travels to elimlinate hotel and associated costs. And there are few other coaches who represent the university better than Jack Clark. He is actively engaged in other aspects of university life and lectures frequently about things such as leadership, team culture, and personal responsibility. All they have they have earned.....and then some.

understood tom, there is no questioning that jack clark has mentored successful community leaders via the program program...the question is can't he just continue to do that as a club sport?

would his salary change?...would rugby supporters be any less ardent in their passion for the team?...can they still compete for championships?

BTW, for those planning to watch the stream.......the Rugby Network has an irritating screen that takes a moment or two to load. So if you see a number of green rectangles on your screen, give it a few seconds to load. The empty rectangles do not indicate a problem.

Tom Bear
Thanks for the link. I just signed up for the Rugby Network (for free) on my computer, so I hope to be able to watch the action in the comfort of my home.

Shocky, sorry I didn't see your comeback or I would have replied sooner.

I really can't answer your initial question. Jack and I are only acquaintances so I don't know his inner thinking on this matter. There are others on the board who actually played for him and they might be better able to address your initiall inquiry.

As to the rest of your questions, Cal would be able to compete as they do now, and yes they could still compete for national titles etc. And no, I don't think it would decrease the enthusiasm of the fans because Cal would still compete with the best they can schedule. However, it might drastically reduce the opportunity to play teams on the east coast such as they are doing against #1 Navy tomorrow, or their series against British Columbia which is a home and home series (at least until this year). That would be a grievous loss if it were to happen.

You pointed out, in your initial post, that there's been some issues with how the athletic program (overall) has been managed. What I hope happens is that programs will develop endowments and individual fund raising to take some pressure off the AD overall. That's going to take leadership from former players, current coaches, and fans of those sports. It's a difficult problem made worse (right now) by inflation, and overall depression of the society (my opinion, of course). But it's going to be absolutely essential, I think, to the growth and expansion of athletic opportunities and survival of some programs. In the case of rugby, as I pointed out, the popularity of the game has exploded as more and more athletes and parents turn away from football, and/or look for something a bit more exciting than soccer. The growth of the women's game has been impressive, and professional rugby is in it's infancy, but looks promising here in the states. On top of that, just this past year, the number of programs raising their rugby status to varsity has been encouraging. And as I pointed out in another thread, it is easier to field a rugby team without varsity status for schools that don't have football programs (or at least "major" football programs) that drain money and resources. It's somewhat similar to what you see with basketball where, when the tourney starts, you can see some very small schools with very competitive programs taking part in the overall March Madness.

None of the answers are easy. Cal's situation is particularly challenging because of the broad nature of sports available to participants. As I understand it, Cal Rugby is pretty stable. Former players and fans have seen to it that the team retains it's high standards. From the little I know about other programs, it seems to me they could all take a page from the Cal Rugby textbook and try to duplicate it's success (not just on the field, but administratively as well).

Yesterday was "The Big Give". I got nothing from any athletic related programs even mentioning the opportunity or need for additional funding. Cal Band? They reached out big time, and I believe they had a very successful day. (I gave my $12+ to try to help.)

Perhaps each program having a designated representative liaisson to BI would be a good start? I'm not sure the majority of us know how serious the situation is from a sport to sport standpoint. But your question is valid and is indicative of the serious situation our AD is in.

I'm hopeful someone will be able to come up with "outside the box" ideas rather than having to resort to cutting sports (again). From the little I know, Cal Rugby has thought outside the box, and it's working to keep the team at a high standard. It's time others help the programs they love come up with some "outside the box" solutions as well.

For gosh sakes some of the best and brightest minds have come from the institution. Can't someone come up with some options for the AD as well?

ERROR ERROR ERROR ERROR


Game time tomorrow is 9:30am, not 9am. Please forgive the error. I don't know how to correct the "banner".

tom, appreciate your thoughtful feedback, we are in agreement that new mechanisms for supporting cal athletics need to be developed that do not involve the athletic department & the con artist

but why couldn't cal rugby still play on the east coast?...if they can still compete for titles with the same level of donor enthusiasm, why can't the program be a club sport?

In answer to one of Shocky1's question: in the matter of Title IX compliance, Cal fields both a men's and a women's team. I suspect the women's roster is somewhat shorter than the men's, but at least there is some semblance of gender equality there that is missing from, for example, Football. Given that a) the men's Rugby program has a cadre of dedicated supporters that help fund the program, and b) as one of the the most successful college sports programs over the last 43 years, Men's Rugby is a great blueprint for success, cutting or reducing this sport makes a lot less sense that cutting elsewhere.

chacicid, isn't the women's rugby team a club sport?

seems like if the goal is title ix compliance then both men's and women's program would be club sports

the reality is that cal is heading towards an existential moment that's gonna require that the bureaucracy bloat & financially unsustainable 30 sports to be rightsized, men's rugby with 58 counters needs to become a club sport particularly if it can still compete for tittles

My daughter has expressed interest in both rugby and attending Cal. We live about a 70 mins from Annapolis. I might have to change my appointment with our tax preparer to take her on a last minute lark! Great Grandpa was Army class of '32 so this will be easy. Off to talk to the wife!

CALiforniALUM said:

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My daughter has expressed interest in both rugby and attending Cal. We live about a 70 mins from Annapolis. I might have to change my appointment with our tax preparer to take her on a last minute lark! Great Grandpa was Army class of '32 so this will be easy. Off to talk to the wife!

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As a former Cal rugger, played for Jack, I support your decision to talk to the wife and attend this game!!

Go Bears.

UrsineMaximus said:

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CALiforniALUM said:

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My daughter has expressed interest in both rugby and attending Cal. We live about a 70 mins from Annapolis. I might have to change my appointment with our tax preparer to take her on a last minute lark! Great Grandpa was Army class of '32 so this will be easy. Off to talk to the wife!

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As a former Cal rugger, played for Jack, I support your decision to talk to the wife and attend this game!!

Go Bears.

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I did talk to the wife and my daughter and I will be going. Screw paying Uncle Sam.

Any insider suggestions around the experience either in relation to the team either pre or post game? We've been to a few rugby matches not related to Cal.

CALiforniALUM said:

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My daughter has expressed interest in both rugby and attending Cal. We live about a 70 mins from Annapolis. I might have to change my appointment with our tax preparer to take her on a last minute lark! Great Grandpa was Army class of '32 so this will be easy. Off to talk to the wife!

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The women's rugby team is a club team, not a D1 team, but they have excellent coaching, buses to games, great team spirit, and it's apparently a blast! Nothing but positives. Their instagram page is current.