Ruggers beat UCLA yesterday

2,944 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by cal83dls79
chalcidbear
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On Saturday, Cal's men rugby team played UCLA in Los Angeles. I wasn't there, but below is a link to the official report:

https://calbears.com/news/2019/3/9/rugby-cal-drops-bakers-dozen-on-bruins.aspx

Looks like we were able to rebound from our loss to UBC the week before.
joe amos yaks
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Silly on pitch. The brubabe ruggers will never win a match wearing those silly blue babydoll PJ's . . . even with the yellow headguard. That's just the way it is.

Go Bears!
"Those who say don't know, and those who know don't say." - LT
Chabbear
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In other rugby news, St Mary's has swept BYU this year, winning this week 50-12 at BYU and at St Marys 34-12 last month. Navy almost beat Life losing 19-18. St Mary's plays at Navy a week before coming to Witter.

See everyone next week at Witter when we play Utah. Go Bears
TomBear
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Basically, it came down to Cal was methodical, and UCla was at times poorly structured and undisciplined. Our forwards were magnificent in the scrum, and our tackling was FIERCE! The Bears work in the weight room and on the hills has really paid off. Great speed on the outside, tremendous push in the forwards, and experience against UBC has put the Bears in a really nice position as they head into the last few matches of the season.

But the news from Moraga is kind of alarming. The Gaels second victory over BYU was in Provo. I saw film of one of the Gaels scores, and it was great execution of awareness, communication and ball distribution by their inside centre, outside centre and wing. You can't judge a team by a few videos, but what I saw suggests the Gaels backs are very skilled and are working really well together. Gaels play Navy this Saturday in Annapolis. Navy has really upped their game and losing to Life by only one point on Saturday suggests their ascendency is moving along nicely.

So the Bears play Utah this weekend (Homecoming), then Arizona and the match of the titans with St. Marys. As I've said before, Coach Clark manages his personnel brilliantly, and the Bears will be as ready as can be for the Gaels finale. Bears look terrific right now. If they keep this up, the match with St. Marys could be one for the ages.

I'm bummed that I can't be there this Saturday, but will be there for the final matches against Arizona and of course the St. Mary's match. Some of Cal's past teams are going to be honored on Saturday and there is always a good showing of former rugby players for homecoming. For those who can go, do yourselves a favor and be there this Saturday. There is an early game: Cal reserves vs. Humboldt State followed by the 1st side vs. Utah. It will give you a chance to see just how deep and well coached the reserves are. With many former Cal players on hand, it will be a great atmosphere and you will enjoy yourself tremendously. (Just watching ONE Cal tackle can bring great satisfaction. The Bears do not miss, and punishment to the ball carrier is guaranteed
BeggarEd
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Eh... I would never underestimate St. Mary's, but BYU is not the juggernaut they were a few years ago. Since their former (long-time) coach David Smyth resigned after some kind of fallout withe their administration, they've been in a bit of a transition period.

The new coach (Steve St. Pierre) was a exceptional player, but he's barely in his 30's and still pretty green as a head coach. Aside from the St. Mary's games, they also played Arizona on March 2nd and barely escaped with a win (22-17). Arizona is a capable team, but note that they only defeated the same UCLA side that Cal just crushed by 11 points (35-24) in late February.

All of this (transitive property, etc) is meaningless when Cal actually plays St. Mary's, but I wouldn't automatically assume St. Mary's is a massive favorite strictly based on their two wins over BYU this year.
TomBear
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Your point is ultra valid, BeggarEd. But this is a particularly interesting year for collegiate rugby I think. BYU is definitely, (apparently), not what they have been. But there's been some interesting action on the east coast particularly involving Navy and Life. Arkansas State seems a bit more vulnerable than in the past. Meanwhile out here, Utah and San Diego State appear to be in some kind of decline. I'm not sure what to make of Arizona at this point. You're right about them just getting by UCla, but they've been decent in other matches, and I don't know what kind of lineups they're using. With their being two weeks away from Witter, and no match in between, they'll be somewhat of a puzzle when they come to town.

St. Marys has a diverse roster with players from all over the country and several foreign players breaking down like this:

Guam 5
Portugal 1
Canada 1
Japan 1
Australia 2
South Africa 1
and some country I not only can't pronounce but couldn't spell if I had to 2 (brothers)

So they'll be pretty experienced and if standings remain as they are (they are ranked #3 behind Cal #2), they'll come in with a chip on their shoulder as well.

The rivalry is always spirited and intense. And the game will be televised. So both teams will be trying to put out a good showing. Cal's defense has been ferocious all year. But that's a lot of international exposure on the Gael side, and most of them are in the backs.

Gaining and maintaining possession will be critical, and I can't wait to see how it all plays out.
Aussie Bear
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TomBear said:


St. Marys has a diverse roster with players from all over the country and several foreign players breaking down like this:

Guam 5
Portugal 1
Canada 1
Japan 1
Australia 2
South Africa 1
and some country I not only can't pronounce but couldn't spell if I had to 2 (brothers)


FYI, the brothers are from Scotland.

While I follow and support Cal rugby, some of the "recruiting foreigners" commentary was a bit wearing last year and it looks like it will be on again. Lets change the heading marginally...

Cal has a diverse roster with players from all over the country and several foreign players breaking down like this:

Portugal 1
Australia 2
New Zealand 1
Switzerland 1
Hong Kong 4
UK 3
Japan 1
Spain 1
Canada 1
UAE 2
Uruguay 1

By comparison Life has:

Scotland 2
UK 1
Zimbabwe 1
Italy 1
South Africa 2
Australia 1
TomBear
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Aussie, I didn't offer the information as any sort of excuse. My point is the Bears will have their hands full with St. Marys, and this is simply one of the reasons why St. Marys is a good side. It is also a valid reason why Life is so good as well. And we've experienced the same thing with UBC and BYU for years. It is what it is, and the Bears will play well regardless.




chalcidbear
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"So they'll be pretty experienced and if standings remain as they are (they are ranked #3 behind Cal #2), they'll come in with a chip on their shoulder as well."

If Cal and St. Marys are ranked #2 and #3, who is #1?
NVGolfingBear
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Maybe Life, as the defending champ?
TomBear
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Yes. Life remains number one.
Chabbear
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St Mary's just moved to #2 based on their win at BYU so Cal is ranked #3. The real test is at Witter on 3/30 followed by a probable meeting in the playoff semifinals at St Mary's on 4/27

https://www.d1arugby.com/news/big-ten/week-24-rankings-changes-in-top-4/


Go Bears
cal83dls79
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I bet if St Mary's rebuilt their football program they might do well. Lots of smart people over there now.
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Chabbear
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St Marys might recreate a good football program but the hurdle, having to field at least a D1 FSC football program is probably beyond the college at this point. The NCAA used to allow colleges to be in more than one division. Now colleges has to be in the same division for all sports except for some legacy D-3 schools with one D-1 program (usually in ice hockey) which were grandfathered.
cal83dls79
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I said this fecitiiuutly. Been to more games up there(girls,Sherlock, russel)
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cal83dls79
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I'm not even going to correct that!
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cal83dls79
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Chabbear said:

St Marys might recreate a good football program but the hurdle, having to field at least a D1 FSC football program is probably beyond the college at this point. The NCAA used to allow colleges to be in more than one division. Now the college has to be in the same division for all sports except for some legacy D-3 schools with one D-1 program (usually in ice hockey) got grandfathered.
that was not a sentence but
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Chabbear
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I wondered when my non sentence would be noticed.
cal83dls79
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lol. I think the point is is that lots of cal people are in denial about the success over there and that they have a better basketball program over there now. It's a sad fact. The latest win over a #2 program is testament. Great coaching, great strategy. Tired of hating them now and into full envy of their success. And this from a dls guy where the kids that didn't go to cal went to Chico or st Mary's. Tough pill
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TomBear
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Some may not know this, but St. Marys had a very successful football program going even into the '80s. In 1988 they had a perfect season which included victories over Humboldt State, Cal Lutheran, SF State and Santa Clara. Sadly, many of the schools they played against (as you can see from the schools mentioned) no longer field a football team. These schools include (in addition to the above) Sonoma State, UC Santa Barbara, Hayward State, and Chico State.

In the '30s, '40s and '50s Cal played St. Marys with some regularity, and their games against Notre Dame got national attention.

Now, with the expenses of the game, Title IX, and even concerns over injuries etc., it becomes very difficult for schools to field a competitive football program. It's a shame because small college football is a lot of fun, and UCSB and St. Mary's had really nice stadiums.

BTW, in 1926, the Gaels went 9-0-1 and defeated the Bears during that season.

Football's loss is rugby's gain, as the venue in Moraga is pretty nice. The campus is very attractive, and the student body isn't too big.

For anyone interested, there is a book called "They Did It Every Time" by Randy Andrade which is about the history of Gael football. It's probably not easy to find, but might be available on EBay.
cal83dls79
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Thanks for the histo. I knew a number of kids that went to play baseball there and even a few that made it to the next level. Why not go there? Went to school with a kid that has his dads name on a few buildings.
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