April 18, 2006
BERKELEY - Cal Rugby will find out starting April 22 if it can put together four consecutive 80-minute performances to add a 22nd national championship to its trophy case.
The Golden Bears' philosophy has never made the hardware or accolades the point of playing the game, but that doesn't mean Cal won't hoist the prize proudly if it manages to run the table and walk away with top honors after a challenging 2006 season.
Cal will be joined by seven more of the nation's best rugby teams, each only four victories away from winning it all, when the 2006 Division I Round of 16 kicks off on Witter Rugby Field on the Cal campus. Pool B play begins on Friday, April 21 (see schedule below), and Pool A gets started with Cal vs. UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 22.
"The rugby rankings indicate that our pool [A] has four top-10 teams and will therefore be quite competitive," said Cal head coach Jack Clark. "We're looking forward to the challenge."
The two national semifinalists who emerge from the busy weekend in Berkeley will join the winners of Pools C and D from the West Point, N.Y., half of the Round of 16 to play for the national championship on May 5-6 in Palo Alto.
The Round of 16's top four seeds are, in order, Cal, BYU, Penn State and Utah. But anyone already penciling in the national champion from among that group needs to note the strength of the entire 2006 field.
The #16 Gauchos from UC Santa Barbara are not to be overlooked after their successful 2006 season, during which they defeated Pac-10 teams Arizona, ASU and UCLA. UCSB dropped only two collegiate games, a 34-13 loss to SoCal #1 qualifier Cal Poly and a 10-8 defeat against Utah. The Gauchos came out on the winning end of another close contest to get their matchup with Cal, beating San Diego State, 18-14, in the SoCal Region's challenge match to get the region's second slot in the Round of 16.
Coach Clark said it would be "a mistake for us to look any further than UCSB. They are a quality side that uses the ball skillfully."
The winner of the Cal-UCSB game will face the winner of #8 Clemson vs. #9 Navy. Both the Tigers and Midshipmen are formidable.
The Tigers are the 2006 South Region champs, carrying a 14-2 overall record and 5-0 conference mark into the tournament. Navy, a 2005 national semifinalist (losing to Cal, 50-6), is the second seed from the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Midshipmen only dropped two games this year in collegiate competition, losing by a single point to both Ohio State and Penn State. "I don't know much about the other side of the bracket," coach Clark said of the #8-9 seeds, "other than Clemson is said to be a senior-laden team, which is the recipe for success, and that Navy is the same old bunch of studs they always are. I admire [head coach] Mike Flanagan and what he has accomplished at Navy over the years."
The Bears' bracket winner will take on the survivor of Pool D -- Utah, Army, Colorado or Tennessee -- in the national semifinals. Whichever squad takes Pool B honors will need to beat Pool C's winner -- Penn State, Ohio State, Dartmouth or UC Davis -- to reach the final.
A Cal team that relies heavily on its freshmen and sophomores has synergized to play scintillating rugby for much of the season. Peaking at the right time and staying healthy for the duration of the competition comprise the winning formula not just for the Bears, but the entire 16-team national playoff field.
Among the forwards, Cal will benefit from the experience of proven postseason veterans such as Andrew Lindsey, Cyrus Dorosti, Chris Biller, Rikus Pretorius and Louis Stanfill, all of whom carry 2005 All-America credentials. Juniors Joe Welch and Ross Biestman offer flexibility up front or on the fringe, and first-year player Toby Smith is a solid option if needed at flanker.
Senior Jake Stanfill is also poised to leave it all on the field for the Bears, and his talent in the second row will be welcome as much as his fitness will allow after a careful season following 2005 knee surgery.
Blending into the pack is a mix of underclassmen that may include freshman Julian Snellgrove or sophomore Paul Jesseman at lock, freshman Eric Fry at flanker, and sophomores Kevin Kroll or Jim Barrett in the front row.
Cal has proven leadership among the back line, with seniors Andrew Johnson at scrumhalf, Rob Weedon at flyhalf and Chase Brogan at center together with junior Chris Gurecki at fullback. Sophomore wingers Scott Kidd and Jason Lee both played in last year's postseason, but sophomore Cody Stevens did not. Stevens will step in at center with the status All-American Ryan Donnelly uncertain as he continues to recover from an MCL strain.
Cal has other competent choices among the backs, with sophomore Connor O'Brien coming off a good season at wing and fullback, junior David Poettcker having served well in the mid- and backfield, and junior Zak Triplett providing a threat with his foot from scrumhalf or flyhalf. It's also possible that a freshman, perhaps Ryan Harris, Ryan Taylor or Colin Hawley, could get tapped to enter the fray.
Cal measured up favorably this year against two teams who have reached the Round of 16, beating #12 Colorado, 67-27, and #14 UC Davis, 37-0. The 2006 Bears (18-1 overall, 9-0 conference) won 16 straight and were seven minutes from their 17th in a row until the University of British Columbia avoided a season sweep on March 25 by scoring three late tries to hand Cal its first and only loss of the season.
A wide-open attack staffed by many underclassmen offers a different look from the more experienced, forward-driven Cal team that took the 2005 crown. The Bears hope to play their best rugby through the final whistle four more times starting April 22 for the right to call themselves the 2006 champions.
If Cal's efforts yield the national title, these students and everyone who supports them will have every right to be proud of the accomplishment.
Division I College Rugby Round of 16:
Pool A (Berkeley)
Cal, Clemson, Navy, UC Santa Barbara
Pool B (Berkeley)
BYU, Cal Poly, Purdue, Wyoming
Pool C (West Point)
Penn State, Ohio State, Dartmouth, UC Davis
Pool D (West Point)
Utah, Army, Colorado, Tennessee
Pools A & B Schedule:
Friday, April 21
BYU vs. Wyoming, 12 p.m.
Cal Poly vs. Purdue, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 22
Cal vs. UCSB, 10 a.m.
Clemson vs. Navy, 12 p.m.
BYU/Wyoming loser vs. Cal Poly/Purdue loser, 2 p.m.
BYU/Wyoming winner vs. Cal Poly/Purdue winner, 4 p.m. (Championship Qualifier)
Sunday, April 23
Cal/UCSB loser vs. Clemson/Navy loser, 12 p.m.
Cal/UCSB winner vs. Clemson/Navy winner, 2 p.m. (Championship Qualifier)
National Championships (Palo Alto)
May 5: Pool A winner vs. Pool D winner, Pool B winner vs. Pool C winner
May 6: Pool A/D winner vs. Pool B/C winner (National Championship)
