BERKELEY – The Golden Bears defeated the United States Naval Academy, 57-15, Saturday in the national semifinals on Witter Rugby Field to earn California its third straight trip to the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup Rugby Championship final.
Cal (17-1) advances to the May 2 championship final at 2 p.m. MT, televised live on NBC Sports Network from Rio Tinto Stadium outside of Salt Lake City, to face Brigham Young, which defeated Central Washington, 35-8, in Saturday's other semifinal.
It was a special sendoff Saturday for final-year student-athletes making their last run onto Witter Rugby Field, where Cal controlled the majority of possession and held the Midshipmen out of the try zone during several sequences that came inside the Bears 22.
“It meant a lot to face the challenge posed by Navy,” said co-captain Jake Anderson, one of the graduating seniors who played their last match in Strawberry Canyon, notching nine points on a penalty kick and three conversions (3-for-8).“To do it at home, one last time, was very special.”
“We got the job done to earn another shot at the final,” said co-captain Alec Gletzer, another graduating senior whose try in the 43rd minute propelled Cal's momentum in the second stanza. “It wasn't easy and it wasn't perfect, but Navy deserves credit for that. We have our work cut out for us to be successful against BYU.”
Also among final-year try scorers was replacement fullback Spencer Morris, whose try in the 77th minute closed the scoring in the Bears' nine-try effort against the Midshipmen. One of the best students on the roster, Morris said he “saw the opportunity was fortunate to be able to take it” when flyhalf Russell Webb put a bouncing chip kick into the try zone that Morris, also among the fittest on the team, won the race to chase down to the delight of his team and fans.
Others graduating Bears enjoying heartfelt sendoffs from the stands full of fans were starting scrumhalf Paul Bosco, starting lock Sione Sina and starting flanker Carl Hendrickson, and replacements Harry Libarle at wing and Travis Moscone at hooker.
“Nothing but respect for Navy, they were very difficult,” said Cal head coach Jack Clark. “It was a good match. They're a bunch of stud guys.”
The Bears got their nine tries from seven different players, with two apiece recorded by inside center Anthony Salaber and replacement scrumhalf Nicklas Boyer. Webb connected on 1-of-2 drop-kick attempts and Boyer missed his lone conversion (0-for-1).
Navy's scoring came from a penalty kick by flyhalf Jack McAuliffe (1-of-2) in the first half followed by second-half tries from fullback Justin Manke and outside center Dakota Raymond, the former converted by McAuliffe (1-for-2 conversions).
“Fundamentally sound all the time,” said Navy head coach Mike Flanagan of the Bears. “You'd better not make mistakes, because they will capitalize.”
Asked for any advantage Cal may carry into its third straight meeting with BYU in the championship final, Flanagan answered, “There's always well coached. Cal schemes for teams better than anyone. If there's an advantage, it'll be in their preparation.”
The Bears will continue those preparations hoping to reach their full potential at the May 2 championship, where Cal has defeated BYU in the title contest five times in eight meetings since 2001. The Cougars have taken the title over the Bears the past two years, and the 2015 Varsity Cup meeting is sure to be the toughest test in a spring 15s season that has seen the Blue and Gold become better seasoned as Cal took on its toughest opponents.
The Penn Mutual Varsity Cup National Rugby Championship is the premier rugby postseason in the United States. Since the first National Collegiate Championship, Varsity Cup universities have won a total of 31 national titles in a span of 33 years. Moreover, Varsity Cup universities have earned 68 final four places during this same period, with Air force, Arkansas State, BYU, Cal, Dartmouth, Navy and Utah all having played their way to the final four. Since the inception of the Varsity Cup National Championship, Central Washington University and UCLA have added to the Varsity Cup's list of final four participants. This brings total Varsity Cup university final four appearances to 76 over the course of 35 years. Varsity Cup universities have been crowned National Champions a total of 33 times in the 35-year history of the National Collegiate Championships.
Following the conclusion of their 15s season, the Bears will prepare to compete at the 2015 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship May 30-31 in Philadelphia, where Cal has won two consecutive national championships in 7s.
The Scoring Timeline vs. Navy
07:00 Harry Adolphus 5
13:00 Navy (Jack McAuliffe) 3
19:00 Miles Honens 5
31:00 Russell Webb 3
38:00 Jake Anderson 3
Halftime Score: California 16, Navy 3
41:00 Navy (Justin Manke) 5, (Jack McAuliffe) 2
43:00 Alec Gletzer 5
53:00 Anthony Salaber 5, Jake Anderson 2
57:00 Anthony Salaber 5
61:00 Navy (Dakota Raymond) 5
63:00 Nicklas Boyer 5, Jake Anderson 2
66:00 Nicklas Boyer 5, Jake Anderson 2
72:00 Russell Webb 5
77:00 Spencer Morris 5
Final Score: California 57, Navy 15
The Team vs. Navy
15. Anderson (Morris @ 73:00), 14. Battaglia, 13. Adolphus, 12. A. Salaber, 11. Honens (Libarle @ 73:00), 10. Webb, 9. Bosco (Boyer @ 55:00), 1. Walsh, 2. Bush (Moscone @ 73:00), 3. Vrame, 4. Kondrat, 5. Sina (Zerbino @ 68:00), 6. Hendrickson (Tandy @ 60:00), 7. Gletzer (Gaffney @ 73:00), 8. Sweet
