Today Cal faced off against Cal Poly at Witter Field - this is the 4th match in a row that was played under some combination of cold, wind and rain (today only cold and wind). I thought this match would be significantly tougher for us, since Cal Poly beat us about 8 years ago, and the Mustangs were in the NC finals about 10-15 years ago. But according to the program, they entered today's match with a 1-5 record, so this year's team has definitely declined over the past decade. Their squad was on the whole much shorter than out boys, and they didn't look quite as fit as some of our other opponents.

And this was borne out today - Cal scored a try in the first 2 minutes, and things went pretty much today as they have over the past month. At half time we were up 71-0, and at the end of the match we put up 138 points - out highest of the season so far. Cal Poly had a penalty kick early in the 1st half, but it missed. The Mustangs got the ball deep in our territory late in the 2nd half, and with about 5 1/2 minutes left in the game scored a try (but missed a conversion. This is the first time this season Cal allowed an opponent to score a try, so the final score was 138-5.

Cal clearly showed it's dominance in all aspects of the game - we stole a lot of their lineouts, and dominated in the scrums. At one point we held the ball in a maul when we moved the ball downfield a good 10-20 meters. Again we had a couple of great individual efforts by several players who had long runs downfield.

But we were not perfect - our passing game was less than stellar, and in the first part of the game we bobbled receiving kickoffs several times. These are the types of things that could prove crucial next week when we face UBC.

There was a reserve game after the main one, but I did not hang around for that.

Sam Cusano, who was injured last week, did not play today, but he was on the sideline, walking around and even jogging down the sideline, so I expect his injury was not too serious, and perhaps he'll be back in the lineup next week.

UBC is 14-3 this year. They started their season in September. They won the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship for the second straight year in late November. They will be a huge test for the Bears!

The reserve match was another 3 digit offensive point output for the Bears.

As far as the first game, I thought we did rather poorly in the first half lineouts, but get better in the second half. The weather had some affect, and a few throw ins were allowed some leniency by the referee as one or two were clearly not straight. But holy smokes, our forwards were just overwhelming in the scrums and mauls.

My feelings are the Bears are improved in overall ball handling over where they often are at this time of year. I was impressed by the fewer knockons, and also the way the Bears are attacking particularly the middle of opponents' back lines. I feel like there's more versatility, offensively, than I expected this year, and this team just seems to be on a very intense mission. Cal Rugby teams always play this way, but there is just something about this year's team that seems even more determined.

Of course, the competition hasn't been as challenging as the same teams (like Poly, San Diego State) etc. have been in the past. It seems to me (just personal opinion) that Cal is still ascending while Cal Poly, Utah, and San Diego State are declining. I've almost written stanford off. UCla, on the other hand, has shown they are serious about improving and I think they're going to be OK. But we'll know a whole lot more after this Saturday against UBC.

As much as I hated sitting in the cold, I must say the last few weeks of bad weather could turn out to be a blessing b/c the Bears will be well experienced in playing in cold and wet conditions when they travel to UBC in a couple of weeks.

Also, I was pleased to see the constriction of the beer garden lifted so I didn't have to miss any of the second half due to trying to down the rest of my beverage while play restarted!

BTW, St. Marys defeated BYU 34-12.

Sidebar: I got snowed in over the Grapevine and didn't return home until late this morning. If I had only left the Bay Area one hour earlier I would have missed the snow. But French Toast made with Baileys delayed my departure. If there are expected temperatures in the 30s over the Grapevine this weekend, I will have to take the longer coastal route for the UBC match. Hoping for milder temps on Friday and Sunday!