PHILADELPHIA — California beat Clemson, 50-0, to complete a three-match sweep Sunday at the Collegiate Rugby 7s Championship, capping the Golden Bears' 5-1 weekend at the CRC with a win over the Tigers after a 38-0 shutout of Virginia Tech and 34-5 win over Wisconsin earlier in the day at Talen Energy Stadium.
 
Forced to regroup in a bizarre tournament structure that almost assured that either Cal or Life would be left out of the cup bracket after pool play, the Bears played solid 7s rugby to seal their weekend.
 
"As I said after Saturday, we played pretty well again today," said head coach Jack Clark. "Now, us scoring 120-5 in plate matches is mostly a disservice to the teams with legitimate aspirations toward the plate. We accept our end of the proposition, but it doesn't feel right for others."
 
The Rugby Bears exited the event relieved for the status of freshman Jason Severance, who was released from a local hospital after being transported for observation following an injury in the first half, and is now with his teammates and parents.
 
The Golden Bears, winners of three of four competitions they entered, including the PAC 7s conference championship, complete their 2018-19 year in Olympic 7 with an overall record of 22-1. Nine of the 13 student-athletes who competed at the 2019 CRC return for the 2019-20 year, which awaits the program just around the corner as the United States prepares to compete in Rugby 7s at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.
 
"I am proud of how the boys were able to focus on the next most important thing and finish strong," said graduated senior captain Nic Mirhashem. "Very excited for the boys returning in the fall. They're a very talented and hardworking bunch."
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Wisconsin
 
02:00 Marcus Shankland 5
 
05:00 Elliot Webb 5, 2
 
7:00 Wisconsin 5
 
Halftime Score: California 12, Wisconsin 5
 
09:00 Christian Dyer 5
 
11:00 Jason Severance 5, Elliot Webb 2
 
13:00 Elliot Webb 5
 
14:00 Jason Severance 5
 
Final Score: California 34, Wisconsin 5
 
The Team vs. Wisconsin
 
1.Dyer, 2. Severance, 3. Mirhashem, 4. Poon, 5. Webb, 6. Walsh, 7. Shankland
Replacements: A. Roeske, Kurihara, Golla
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Virginia Tech
 
03:00 Troy Lockyear 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
06:00 Ken Kurihara 5
 
7:00 Nic Mirhashem 5
 
Halftime Score: California 17, Virginia Tech 0

09:00 Sam Cusano 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
10:00 Marcus Shankland 5, Ken Kurihara 2
 
14:00 Jason Severance 5, Henry Poon 2
 
Final Score: California 38, Virginia Tech 0
 
The Team vs. Virginia Tech
 
1.Dyer, 2. Mirhashem, 3. Golla, 4. Kurihara, 5. Walsh, 6. Lockyear, 7. Cusano
Replacements: Shankland, Webb, A. Roeske, Severance, Poon
 
The Scoring Timeline vs. Clemson
 
01:00 Troy Lockyear 5, 2
 
02:00 Troy Lockyear 5
 
04:00 Sam Cusano 5, Troy Lockyear 2
 
05:00 Troy Lockyear 5, 2
 
06:00 Sam Cusano 5
 
07:00 Zachary Tavenner 5
 
Halftime: California 36, Clemson 0
 
10:00 Zachary Tavenner 5, Elliot Webb 2
 
13:00 Sam Golla 5, Elliot Webb 2
 
Final Score: California 50, Clemson 0
 
The Team vs. Clemson
 
1.Dyer, 2. Severance, 3. Mirhashem, 4. Kurihara, 5. Walsh, 6. Lockyear, 7. Cusano
Replacements: Golla, Tavenner, Webb