BERKELEY – Nine California players scored a total of 13 tries as the Golden Bears soundly defeated Utah, 82-5, in front of a big Homecoming crowd Saturday afternoon on Witter Rugby Field.
Cal (11-1, 4-0 PAC) spent most of the match in Utah (5-3, 1-1 PAC) territory as the Bears took big strides toward their third straight PAC Rugby Conference 15s championship.
“Really proud of the team having set a high standard for what we wanted to get done today,” said captain Jake Anderson. “We showed a commitment to making tackles and playing hard, which are good signs going forward.”
Outside center Harry Adolphus led the Blue and Gold with three tries, adding one conversion on two attempts. Andrew Battaglia and Carl Hendrickson both scored two tries apiece while Anderson went 6-of-11 on conversion attempts and added a penalty kick (1-of-2) for the Bears.
The Utes' try was scored by scrumhalf Danny Christensen in the 26th minute to finish Utah's first trip inside the Cal 22 on a day which the Rugby Bears froze Utah's forwards at the gainline and kept the visiting backline from getting untracked.
“We had a good plan today and the boys were very good in the execution of the plan,” said head coach Jack Clark. “That match played in a different landscape could have been a problem. Utah is a very capable team.”
“There was a lot of passion on that field today. We came out on fire and kept it up all 80 minutes,” said outside center Anthony Salaber, who joined his brother, Nick, in the starting lineup as their father, Rob, watched proudly with his teammates from the 1985 national collegiate championship team on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.
The elder Salaber and his '85 team addressed the team before the match, which fueled the fire under the team before it ran out onto Witter Rugby Field. “That was a big positive influence,” Nick Salaber said. “Thinking about my dad out here 30 years ago playing with his buddies, I looked to my teammates and it was a huge motivator.”
Saturday's victory set the stage for Cal's third straight PAC title in 15s with one conference match remaining next week at Oregon State. Utah has three matches remaining in PAC play and will look to overtake UCLA in the race for second place assuming the Bears will not wilt against OSU.
The Blue and Gold's trip to Corvallis to face the Beavers next Saturday, March 7, at noon will be the first contest on a three-match road trip, with the Oregon State match followed by a 6 p.m. start at Santa Clara on Saturday, March 14, and the “World Cup” series finale in Vancouver, Canada, on Sunday, March 22, at 1 p.m.
After their road trip concludes, the Bears return to Strawberry Canyon to host Saint Mary's at noon on Saturday, March 28, in the final match of the regular season before the national postseason begins at the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup National Championships.
The Scoring Timeline vs. Utah
03:00 Andrew Battaglia 5
16:00 Jake Anderson 3
22:00 Andrew Battaglia 5, Jake Anderson 2
26:00 Utah (Danny Christensen) 5
30:00 George Vrame 5, Jake Anderson 2
36:00 James Kondrat 5
39:00 Carl Hendrickson 5, Jake Anderson 2
Halftime Score: California 34, Utah 5
44:00 Nicklas Boyer 5
47:00 Harry Adolphus 5
56:00 Russell Webb 5, Jake Anderson 2
60:00 Harry Adolphus 5, Jake Anderson 2
64:00 Carl Hendrickson 5
67:00 Miles Honens 5, Jake Anderson 2
74:00 Harry Adolphus 5
80:00 Kevin Sullivan 5, Harry Adolphus 2
Final Score: California 82, Utah 5
The Team vs. Utah
15. Anderson (Adolphus @ 67:00), 14. Battaglia (Milne @ 48:00), 13. Adolphus (Barrientes @ 67:00), 12. A. Salaber (Milne @ 28:00, A. Salaber @ 35:00, Okusi @ 63:00), 11. Honens, 10. Webb, 9. Boyer, 1. Walsh, 2. Bush (Ogburn @ 76:00), 3. Vrame, 4. Kondrat, 5. Sina, 6. Hendrickson, 7. N. Salaber, 8. Sina
