May 1, 2004

STANFORD, Calif. - As the late afternoon sun cast long shadows on Steuber Rugby Complex on Saturday at Stanford, the California varsity rugby team won its 20th National Collegiate Championship with a convincing victory over the Mustangs of Cal Poly, 46-24.

The Golden Bears fielded their strongest team available including All-Americans Mike MacDonald, Anthony Vontz, Marc Tausend, Joel DiGiorgio and Kyle Khasigian. Fullback Andrew Blair also returned to the lineup after missing the semifinal win over Navy with a rib injury.

The Cal forwards put a marker down early with a powerful shove against the head, stacking up the Mustang scrum like a cheap lawn chair. Cal had the run of play for the first 10 minutes but was unable to convert the pressure into points.

Despite the pressure, it was Cal Poly that scored first to take a seven-point lead, but field general Khasigian would answer back from a scrum near the Poly line. Next Jacques Wilson, the hero of the semifinal, went over after the Cal backs sent the ball wide with some silky handling.

Captain and tournament MVP MacDonald scored from a ruck close in; Blair converted. Cal Poly snuck one in before the break to leave the score at halftime Cal 22, Cal Poly 14.

The second half began with a Cal try when Senior loose head prop Cyrus Dorosti went over with a pick and jam ball in phase play, followed closely thereafter by DiGiorgio, who ran left from a scrum and slipped between a disorganized Mustang defense, to make the score 34-14.

Cal Poly, down but not out, answered back with a try of its own and came right back off the ensuing kickoff to pressure the Cal defense for the better part of 20 minutes. However, the Bears defense was not only impenetrable but pressured the Mustangs into several unforced errors, the last of which resulted in the try of the match. DiGiorgio scooped a Poly turnover and streaked down the sideline to find Andy Hanks on a support line. Hanks returned the ball to DiGiorgio, who switched with Blair for a truly remarkable try.

Cal Poly would go over one more time in the last five minutes, but it was not enough. Cal freshman Joe Welch delivered the coup de grace when the Mustangs mishandled a ball at the base of scrum. Welch pounced on it in goal to leave the final score the Cal 46, the Mustangs 24.

Cal coach Jack Clark was ecstatic with the win: "Well, how about those apples. There were times when this championship seemed like a bridge too far. But to the credit of our lads, they refused to acknowledge the difficulty of this year's campaign. I learned a long time ago to never ever count out the boys in blue and gold, but this was unexpected and a beautiful ride. Today we played patches of the best defense this university has ever played. I'm so proud of my team...I'm so proud. To play our best game in the last and most important match of the year is, well, beyond words."

The Scoring:

Tries:

Khasigian, Wilson, MacDonald, Dorosti, DiGiorgio, Blair, Welch Cons:

Blair (5)

Pens:

The Team:

15. Blair, 14. Wilson, 13. Weedon, 12. Donnelley, 11. Hanks, 10. Khasigian, 9. DiGiorgio, 8. Boggs, 7. Welch, 6. Lindsey, (Wallace, 58) 5. Stanfill, 4. Tausend, 3. MacDonald, (Captain), 2. Vontz, 1. Dorosti

Follow the Golden Bears' path to the championship:

April 30 - National Semifinal Win (32-15) over Navy

April 18 - National Round of 8 Win (69-11) over North Carolina

April 17 - National Round of 16 Win (40-15) over Bowling Green State