Today the weather was perfect as Cal faced off against the Utah Utes at Witter Field. For the first 5 minutes, it looked like this might be a slugfest - the Utes controlled the ball, slowly working their way to midfield. Then in the space of a few seconds, Cal stole the ball away, and took it to the right and raced down the sideline for a try. After that, the floodgates opened. Cal controlled the ball for almost all the rest of the half, and scored try after try - several of which were copies of the first: from the left part of the field they'd pass it to the right and zoom down to the goal - I think Troy Lockyear (a sophomore) was the carrier on most of those balls, and man is he FAST! Several of these tries took about a minute of game time or less. With 2 minutes to go in the half we were up 68-0, but in those closing ticks Utah finally got control of the ball deep in our territory and managed a try, so the half-time score ended up 68-7.

Cal sat out a good deal of starters for the 2nd half, which started out slow at first. Then Cal got a pair of tries, but things then slowed down again. We got our third try of the half about half way through, and then the game slowed down as both sides seemed to be gassed and incurred several penalties. One of the more interesting plays was when a Cal player was running towards the goal, and a Ute knock the ball out of his grasp. The ball bounced off one or two Utah players, and then back to the Cal runner, who took the ball almost to goal. As time was almost expiring, the Utes scored their 2nd try, but in response, Cal came back and scored another almost immediately, after which time expired, and Cal came out the victors 92-12.

Last week Cal played Arizona, and evidently it was a sloppy game - we beat them only by 39-12, and considering that Arizona is not a very good team, it looked like today's game should have been closer. But Cal dominated in the scrums - either pushing back the Utes team or stealing the ball - while the lineouts were fairly equal. Our defense was superb, and our offense in the first half was clicking on all cylinders, but we got sloppy in the 2nd half.

So after sweeping the Dennis Storer tournament in LA in mid-January, Cal is now 6-0. The next home game is on Feb. 11, vs. ASU at noon. Other upcoming home games of note will be vs UBC on Feb. 18 (@ 2pm, televised on Pac12 Network), vs Stanford on WEDNESDAY March 15 (6.30pm), and vs. St. Mary's on March 25 (5pm, also televised on the Pac12 Network).

Thanks for the report and detailed description. Go Bears!

Did our visiting recruits get to go and see us kick butt??

Bearsupporter;842800830 said:

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Did our visiting recruits get to go and see us kick butt??

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I think i saw Rubenzer at the game. Not sure on recruits though.

Nice moment of silence for Golden Bear '01 Tel Cary-Sadler before the game. RIP Tel.

Polo team was there, Looney and another FB player. No recruits to my knowledge. Lockyear was making guys look stupid out there. Oh, he's also a professional magician.

Thanks for the great report, Chalcid.

Thanks from me too. This is a program that consistently aspires and achieves the top levels in its sport, has students that excel in tge classroom and remain out of trouble in the community. And they do it consistently. Jack Clark is amazing and yet there are some who want to cut Rugby. He knows who he is...

petalumabear;842800935 said:

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Thanks from me too. This is a program that consistently aspires and achieves the top levels in its sport, has students that excel in tge classroom and remain out of trouble in the community. And they do it consistently. Jack Clark is amazing and yet there are some who want to cut Rugby. He knows who he is...

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Let's get real. I don't know anyone who wants to cut rugby. However, it's not a varsity sport in terms of competition, scholarships etc. So having it count against the Title IX number makes no sense. Cal rugby is trying to hold the athletic department hostage and, so far, successfully doing it. It only became a "varsity" sport in the eyes of athletics in the mid-90's in John Kasser's attempt to raise money for a practice football field and putting grass in Memorial Stadium. It's a crime that the collective ego of the Cal rugby community is so out of wack with reality. Yes, it's a great Cal tradition and I've attended dozens of matches since I was an undergrad, but it's a club sport in the American college landscape; that's just a fact!

Shocky.

Barabbas, you're incorrect about your summary of Cal Rugby. Cal Rugby has been the catalyst for the uptick in the collegiate version of the sport throughout the nation. It is because of Cal Rugby that so many programs have accelerated their programs, some of which are giving out scholarships in order to continue the upward trend of the game. The status of the game in the United States is growing, both in terms of popularity, and commitment from schools. THAT'S a fact.

I will add that youth programs in the Bay Area are heavily influenced by the success and leadership provided by Cal Rugby. Cal has provided alumni who are coaching, and are doing so at a very high level. You can clearly see the influences of Cal's training routine in some of the teams representing the East Bay in particular. There is an impressive number of athletes who are playing both football and rugby at the high school level, and it is leading to increasing stories of athletes choosing to play rugby over football as the game becomes more known, thanks in part to the success of Cal's rugby program. (St. Marys also gets credit for this as well, because their program is a quality program, and represents the only contact sport on their campus (as far as I know))

As for the match yesterday, one overwhelming observation is that Cal is far better conditioned than many of the teams they play. Those sessions on the hills and in the sand are valuable and rewarded. Also, the communication between players on the pitch is far superior with Cal. That comes from great coaching. I never had what many call a good "rugby IQ". The players in Blue and Gold clearly have it, and their communication on the field illustrates how well prepared this team is for whoever they play.

Two matches are scheduled for television this year.....one against British Columbia, the other against neighbor St. Marys. Both will provide great competition and particularly in regards to Barabbas's comments, will show how good and dedicated other programs are becoming.

TomBear;842801120 said:

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Barabbas, you're incorrect about your summary of Cal Rugby. Cal Rugby has been the catalyst for the uptick in the collegiate version of the sport throughout the nation. It is because of Cal Rugby that so many programs have accelerated their programs, some of which are giving out scholarships in order to continue the upward trend of the game. The status of the game in the United States is growing, both in terms of popularity, and commitment from schools. THAT'S a fact.

I will add that youth programs in the Bay Area are heavily influenced by the success and leadership provided by Cal Rugby. Cal has provided alumni who are coaching, and are doing so at a very high level. You can clearly see the influences of Cal's training routine in some of the teams representing the East Bay in particular. There is an impressive number of athletes who are playing both football and rugby at the high school level, and it is leading to increasing stories of athletes choosing to play rugby over football as the game becomes more known, thanks in part to the success of Cal's rugby program. (St. Marys also gets credit for this as well, because their program is a quality program, and represents the only contact sport on their campus (as far as I know))

As for the match yesterday, one overwhelming observation is that Cal is far better conditioned than many of the teams they play. Those sessions on the hills and in the sand are valuable and rewarded. Also, the communication between players on the pitch is far superior with Cal. That comes from great coaching. I never had what many call a good "rugby IQ". The players in Blue and Gold clearly have it, and their communication on the field illustrates how well prepared this team is for whoever they play.

Two matches are scheduled for television this year.....one against British Columbia, the other against neighbor St. Marys. Both will provide great competition and particularly in regards to Barabbas's comments, will show how good and dedicated other programs are becoming.

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I'd also add that Cal Rugby has generated an impressive coaching tree that has generated a positive impact on other programs. Tim O'Brien at St. Mary's, Matt Sherman at Army...

The quality of athletes at Cal, other programs, and even programs within the Pac-12 continues to improve.

There have been many threads about cutting costs and sports and the best way to do it. Perhaps we could have a game recap yhread from time to time without going into this debate?

Rugby 7s in the Olympics will help the sport gain popularity.

TomBear;842801120 said:

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Barabbas, you're incorrect about your summary of Cal Rugby. Cal Rugby has been the catalyst for the uptick in the collegiate version of the sport throughout the nation. It is because of Cal Rugby that so many programs have accelerated their programs, some of which are giving out scholarships in order to continue the upward trend of the game. The status of the game in the United States is growing, both in terms of popularity, and commitment from schools. THAT'S a fact.

I will add that youth programs in the Bay Area are heavily influenced by the success and leadership provided by Cal Rugby. Cal has provided alumni who are coaching, and are doing so at a very high level. You can clearly see the influences of Cal's training routine in some of the teams representing the East Bay in particular. There is an impressive number of athletes who are playing both football and rugby at the high school level, and it is leading to increasing stories of athletes choosing to play rugby over football as the game becomes more known, thanks in part to the success of Cal's rugby program. (St. Marys also gets credit for this as well, because their program is a quality program, and represents the only contact sport on their campus (as far as I know))

As for the match yesterday, one overwhelming observation is that Cal is far better conditioned than many of the teams they play. Those sessions on the hills and in the sand are valuable and rewarded. Also, the communication between players on the pitch is far superior with Cal. That comes from great coaching. I never had what many call a good "rugby IQ". The players in Blue and Gold clearly have it, and their communication on the field illustrates how well prepared this team is for whoever they play.

Two matches are scheduled for television this year.....one against British Columbia, the other against neighbor St. Marys. Both will provide great competition and particularly in regards to Barabbas's comments, will show how good and dedicated other programs are becoming.

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After telling me I'm "incorrect" you gave me nothing to refute my facts. Yea, collegiate rugby has come a long way since both teams would got sh*t-faced together and partied with their groupies; and yes it's more competitive, but it's a high-end club sport. Everything you say about Cal's coaching tree, rugby being showed on Tv, and rugby'a growing popularity in high school is great but the fact is that collegiate rugby is a club sport which is currently treated like a varsity sport only at Cal. its not a varsity sport at BYU or Navy or St Mary's!!! It's a club sport at all those universities;why does Cal have to sacrifice other sports for the ego of alums who want to say "I played varsity rugby at Cal!"

I understand the concern about Cal having a varsity and therefore Title 9 issue with men's rugby. However, it appears that there has been some changes in the rugby landscape as it relates to rugby and varsity status. Colleges are starting to move to varsity status for both men and women's programs. I did some searching and found a few other colleges that now have varsity programs and there may be more than what I found. Of course most of the programs given varsity status are women's programs but not all. You might understand that for the Cal rugby supporters, going back to club status would be seen as a step back just when other colleges are stepping forward. If you look at the links at the end of this post, you will find that scholarships have also entered the picture. Cal is no longer the only men's varsity rugby program in the country.


Cal (Men)

Central Washington University (Both men and women): http://www.wildcatsports.com/index.aspx?path=mrugby

Cal Maritime (men): http://www.cmakeelhaulers.com/

Life University (Both men and women): http://www.liferunningeagles.com/

Lindenwood (men) : http://lindenwoodlynx.com/

West Point (men and women): http://goarmywestpoint.com/

Quinnipiac University (Women): http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/

Sacred Heart (women) : http://www.sacredheartpioneers.com/landing/index

Harvard (women) : http://www.gocrimson.com/landing/index

Dartmouth (women) ; http://www.dartmouthsports.com/

Brown (women): http://www.brownbears.com/landing/index



I found some websites with listings (not all accurate though) of varsity rugby programs:

This list includes "club teams" with College support which was what was proposed by Cal's administration last time:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=18&ved=0ahUKEwjM5v2Sw-jRAhUX82MKHYleBtEQFghtMBE&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffiles.leagueathletics.com%2FImages%2FClub%2F22061%2F2016solo(collegiateprograms)151230rls.pdf&usg=AFQjCNH-ZLxYubE_f4pyVTgIwYWd-1_ewA&bvm=bv.145822982,d.cGc&cad=rja

Two other lists

http://www.ruggersedge.com/recommended/featured-colleges/

http://www.scholarshipstats.com/rugby.html


I think we all all agree that whatever Cal does to cut the operating budget deficit of the sports it sponsors and the debt it has for CMS, it will be painful!

Go Bears

Barabass hates winning i guess??

[u]15s championship

7s championships [/u]

Comical that you think the likes of the military academies, BYU and others are beer swilling frat boys. You'd **** yourself having to go into a single tackle against any of those teams. BYU had a 30 year old former NFL practice squad and New Zealand professional rugby player on their team last year.

Your stereotype is lazy and several decades past being remotely accurate.

I dont know that the likes of Garrett Cross, Jacob Waasdorp, Shaun Paga, and Gary Hein (just a quick sampling of former Cal football/rugby players) would agree with you either

Man I hate to get negative, but Barrabbas, you must not read well. Not only did I correct you, but along with others including Chabbear, provided information you seem to have either overlooked, or dismissed. BTW, as was pointed out elsewhere, scholarships are becoming a more prevalent part of the collegiate rugby landscape. Missing was Arkansas State, which I hear (can't confirm here) also provides rugby scholarships for their men's team.

I do not recall the specific article, and maybe someone else can correct me, but I also feel like I read that Notre Dame, Penn State and one or two other schools were in the process of making rugby a varsity sport. Even if not true, it will be becoming true as the sport continues to get greater and greater exposure.

BTW, attendance at Cal Rugby matches is impressive, and no doubt is a factor in helping to justify varsity status.