BERKELEY – California looks to continue building toward its Feb. 6 home opener with 80-minute road tests for the First XV and reserve grade against Cal Poly on Saturday, Jan. 30, starting at 12:30 p.m. on Talley Field in Arroyo Grande.

The Golden Bears enter the second competition weekend of their young spring season with four wins, all of them coming Jan. 16-17 in the shortened format of the Dennis Storer Classic, which Cal capped with a 38-0 result over UCLA to win the event for the 11th straight year.

The Mustangs will be facing their first collegiate competition of the spring against the Bears on Saturday. Cal Poly No. 8 John Murphy was a name to remember after his four tries contributed to a 44-19 win over the San Luis Obispo senior men's club on Jan. 9, and the fifth-year senior is sure to pose a threat this Saturday to the Blue and Gold. Cal Poly's only other action so far this spring has been against the Santa Barbara Rugby Academy.

“The Mustangs typically field a solid, well-coached team,” said head coach Jack Clark. “This is a good fixture for us.”

Cal is expected to name a somewhat full-strength side to face the Mustangs, protecting only a few players who are carrying injuries. “It will be an early Berkeley departure and a long day, which adds to the challenge,” Clark said.

The Bears have a sense of urgency in their matchup against the Mustangs considering that Cal's home slate begins one week later with a massive test against British Columbia at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, on Witter Rugby Field in the opening leg of the “World Cup” series.

The UBC match is the first of three straight home events that offer marquee matchups for fans who can now purchase guaranteed advance tickets online to all regular-season games, including Cal vs. Thunderbirds, a traditional sellout. The second match of this February frenzy features Cal vs. Air Force on Feb. 20 at noon (preceded by a curtain raiser vs. Cal Maritime at 10 a.m.), followed by the conference-play visit from UCLA to Strawberry Canyon on Feb. 27 at 3 p.m.

The match with the Bruins on Feb. 27 figures to be a pivotal point in the Bears' pursuit for a fourth straight PAC Rugby Conference title, coming as the third conference contest on Cal's slate following previous road tests Feb. 13 and Feb. 15 at Arizona and Arizona State, respectively.

After a challenging regular season that will offer the Bears an opportunity to earn their fourth straight PAC crown, Cal will advance to the national postseason in the Penn Mutual Varsity Cup Rugby Championship to finish its 15s slate before turning back to the Olympic style of the game at the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship ahead of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.