Is Stanford chickening out again?

4,329 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Chabbear
MugsVanSant
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I just checked the rugby schedule to see when the Big Scrum was. I wanted some therapy for losing the Big Game. There was no rugby match with Stanford on the schedule! Most of us will recall that a little over a decade ago Stanford cancelled the annual match because "Somebody might get hurt". After being shamed for their cowardice for a couple of years, the Stanfordites realized that "a brave man dies once but a coward dies a thousand times" and decided to resurrect the hundred plus year old tradition. Remember, from 1908 to 1915 the Big Game was rugby. Sure, they have been unable to score for the last few year while we scored in triple digits. Last year Cal won 135 - 0. But that doesn't mean that they are more likely to "get hurt" playing Cal than anyone else. Maybe we could offer to make it touch.
calbear80
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Please please keep us posted. Winning big in Rugby is one item I can and do brag about when my LSJU friends rag on me about the Big Game.

Go Bears!

P.S. Cal 135- 0 over Stanford, in anything, I like it (no, I LOVE it).


MugsVanSant
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I vaguely remember seeing the Stanford match on the rugby schedule a month or so. The last two times I looked it had disappeared. I posted this on the Facebook page of California Gridiron and received no response. Maybe Coach Clark is too dignified to publicly humiliate Stanford over this, but I'm not!
Chabbear
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Last month I placed all of the matches on the Cal Rugby schedule into my calendar. At that time, the Cal - Stanford match was scheduled for Wednesday 2/13 at Stanford. Unfortunately. the Stanford men's website has last years schedule while their Facebook only lists this year's games on a photo and does not have the game:

https://www.facebook.com/stanfordrugby/photos/pb.64357647161.-2207520000.1547052974./10156876365097162/?type=3&theater

Stanford is not listed on the D1A site anywhere: http://d1arugby.com/standings/ and appears to have moved to D1AA and now belongs to the Pacific Western Rugby Conference: http://pacwestrugby.com/about-the-conference

USA Rugby also lists Stanford as D1AA: https://www.usarugby.org/college-directory/

So, with Stanford dropping a level, they may not want to schedule us this year. I believe they dropped down a level once before in the past 15 years and then moved back up. Maybe they will move back up in the future???


NVBear78
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Rugby must not count for the Directors Cup.......
chalcidbear
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According to the Cal site, we are scheduled to play Stanford on Wednesday Feb 13 at 6:30pm at Witter Field.
Another Bear
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NVBear78 said:

Rugby must not count for the Directors Cup.......
I've always contended if rugby and crew were NCCA sports (thus counting towards the Director's Cup), Cal would win it over Furd. Not every time but enough because Cal has won national titles in both in the same year.
Peanut Gallery Consultant
Chabbear
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There is no Stanford game listed as of today on the webpage :

https://calbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=mrugby
YamhillBear
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Chabbear said:

Last month I placed all of the matches on the Cal Rugby schedule into my calendar. At that time, the Cal - Stanford match was scheduled for Wednesday 2/13 at Stanford. Unfortunately. the Stanford men's website has last years schedule while their Facebook only lists this year's games on a photo and does not have the game:

https://www.facebook.com/stanfordrugby/photos/pb.64357647161.-2207520000.1547052974./10156876365097162/?type=3&theater

Stanford is not listed on the D1A site anywhere: http://d1arugby.com/standings/ and appears to have moved to D1AA and now belongs to the Pacific Western Rugby Conference: http://pacwestrugby.com/about-the-conference

USA Rugby also lists Stanford as D1AA: https://www.usarugby.org/college-directory/

So, with Stanford dropping a level, they may not want to schedule us this year. I believe they dropped down a level once before in the past 15 years and then moved back up. Maybe they will move back up in the future???



Hmmm, sort of like certain BI posters who want us to drop to the MWC...

I left a (neutral) comment on their schedule post on their Facebook site. But maybe time for us to pile on with comments on their website! Truly, as with their earlier forfeit episode, a sad ending to such a longstanding rivalry.

And, in a slightly related direction, an interesting article talking about "wimpy" Rugby replacing "brutal" early-1900's football, with parallels to the current dangers of football in the CTE era...
https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/winter-2018-play/concussion-crisis-can-football-ever-be-safe
Looperbear
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If only people cared about something besides football and getting our ass kicked in BG every year and to a lesser extent basketball...
MugsVanSant
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I wonder if the bottom line with Stanford is if they will only play if they think they have a high likelihood of winning. Their egos seem to be quite fragile. I have watched us play Stanford in rugby for decades. I can remember losing to them. But now it seems they have abandoned any hope of winning back the Scrum Axe.
OldenBear
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chalcidbear
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Well, Stanford played in the PAC 7's tourney at Witter Field last November, where they lost to us, UCLA, USC and Utah. They also played Oregon State that weekend, but I can't remember if they won or lost that game. So as far as the 7's go, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that Stanford dropped down a notch, conference-wise. After all, when you lose to everybody, it's time to reconsider your weight-classification.
TomBear
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While there's truth to what you shared, chlcidbear, I still would be bitterly disappointed if they didn't at least take the pitch to compete. Despite the fact that they wimped out some years ago, I was of the impression that they were trying to, at least to some extent, resurrect the program. Even though they lost many (maybe all) of the matches in the 7s tourney, I thought they showed some improvement, particularly in effort. They have a pretty nice structure (stadium wise I mean), a nice grass field, and a history that is worth fighting for. And if I were a player, I'd be darn angry if we forfeited to our biggest rival by not even competing.

So I hope this is just a case of not having scheduled it ahead of time and looking for a date to play as the season progresses.

It should also be noted that Cal seldom plays their firsts against stanford. To forfeit knowing that is even more cowardly.
MugsVanSant
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Tom Bear: This confirms what I said about Stanford. Their egos are so fragile that they are afraid to compete when they think it unlikely that they will win. I really see no real fear of unusual risk of injury.
Bear19
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furdies are dainty little things.
GranadaHillsBear
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It's surprising that Stanfurd rugby doesn't use the same "training" program as their football team and their Glove which gives them this magical strength
MugsVanSant
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When I was at Cal the rugby team was primarily made up of scholarship football players. Loren Toews (before his five super bowl rings) was a major presence. So was Steve Kemnitzer, Eric Swanson, Dave Penhall, Steve Curtis, and Phil Croyle. Some people here may remember a couple of them. Now there are no football players on the team.
4thGenCal
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MugsVanSant said:

When I was at Cal the rugby team was primarily made up of scholarship football players. Loren Toews (before his five super bowl rings) was a major presence. So was Steve Kemnitzer, Eric Swanson, Dave Penhall, Steve Curtis, and Phil Croyle. Some people here may remember a couple of them. Now there are no football players on the team.
I worked with Loren Toews in commercial real estate and he was a solid good person. BTW how many D-1 rugby programs are there today? Ones that compete nationally for the D-1 title. Just curious as it appears to be an limited field of opponents.
MugsVanSant
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Rugby is not an NCAA sport. The governing body is now USA Rugby. I've been away from the game for so long I don't know how it is organized. However, I can tell you that we crushed USC as well as Stanford and UCLA last year. I was at the national championship game at Buck Shaw Stadium last year. In that game we got crushed by Life University. St. Mary's College also has a strong program almost on a par with ours. I think that most members of the PAC 12 have rugby teams now.The service academies also have strong teams. The Ivy League is represented by Penn among others. I can remember beating Notre Dame in the 60's.
Chabbear
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The D1A Pac Rugby Conference includes Cal, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. Oregon, Washington, Washington State and Oregon State play in the D1AA NCRC conference while Stanford plays in the D1AA Pacific Western Conference and USC dropped out of our conference but I am not sure if they are in a conference this year.
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