Saturday, March 26
Berkeley, CA
12:00 PM
California
vs
Saint Mary's (California)
Photo by: Guy Warren Photography
3/25/2022 11:57 AM | Rugby
Cal Hosts Saint Mary's In Final Matchup Of Regular Season
BERKELEY – California rugby is set to host Saint Mary's at Witter Rugby Field this Saturday, March 26. Kickoff is scheduled for noon, with a reserve-grade match to follow directly after at 2 pm.
"We've had a good week together," head coach Jack Clark said. "The campus is completely lifeless with Spring Break, but we've had each other, and we have gotten through a lot of work. It's fantastic to have a team of Saint Mary's caliber in Strawberry Canyon. It is a contest I think both teams look forward to. Saturday is indeed a rugby day."
The Bears are heading into their final contest of the regular season with an 11-0 record. They are returning from a trip to Utah last week, where they defeated the Utes 68-0. The Bears collected 10 tries from nine different players to clinch the victory. Junior Nate Salter went 7-for-7 in conversions in the match, bringing his total number of successful conversions up to 24 for the XVs season. Sophomore Will Shankland also continued his strong spring season in Utah, collecting another try for the Bears, his sixth of the season.
Cal will turn to their veteran team members in this weekend's matchup with Saint Mary's. Leading the team are experienced senior forwards Jack Manzo, Max Murphy, Jason Severance, and captain Sam Golla. Connecting the forwards and the backs is another key upperclassman in the squad, senior scrumhalf Henry Poon.
Following a short break in the action last week, senior Nick Bloom will also be returning to the starting lineup this Saturday. Bloom has contributed 13 tries this season, including two against Central Washington and the game-winning try versus BYU. Junior Max Schumacher will also return to the field to add to his impressive statistical season. Schumacher has collected 115 points for the Bears this spring, with nine tries and 35 conversions in the Blue & Gold in 2022.
The Gaels have an undefeated record this spring, which includes notable wins over Central Washington (30-27) and BYU (60-29), both matches taking place on the road. SMC also defeated BYU a second time 39-28 at the beginning of the 2022 season in Moraga. SMC is coming to Strawberry Canyon following a win against San Diego State on March 19 when they collected a 41-4 final score on their home field. This weekend's contest in Berkeley will be the fourth match on the road for the Gaels this spring season, and the culmination of the 2022 XVs regular season for both teams.
The Bears and the Gaels last went head-to-head in Moraga during the truncated Covid 2021 season, when SMC outscored Cal 32-14 in the match. Prior to that, the two teams last met twice in 2019. Cal defeated SMC in both matchups, first 29-19 at Witter Rugby field during the regular season, and also at the D1A Western Regional Championships where Cal defeated SMC in Moraga thanks to a final-minute try by wing Sam Cusano. The Bears finished the contest with a score of 28-24 to take the victory and advance to the National Championships.
The gates will open in Strawberry Canyon at 11 am on Saturday morning. Tickets for the match can be purchased here. The match will also be broadcast on Pac-12 Bay Area for fans unable to attend.
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby/).
"We've had a good week together," head coach Jack Clark said. "The campus is completely lifeless with Spring Break, but we've had each other, and we have gotten through a lot of work. It's fantastic to have a team of Saint Mary's caliber in Strawberry Canyon. It is a contest I think both teams look forward to. Saturday is indeed a rugby day."
The Bears are heading into their final contest of the regular season with an 11-0 record. They are returning from a trip to Utah last week, where they defeated the Utes 68-0. The Bears collected 10 tries from nine different players to clinch the victory. Junior Nate Salter went 7-for-7 in conversions in the match, bringing his total number of successful conversions up to 24 for the XVs season. Sophomore Will Shankland also continued his strong spring season in Utah, collecting another try for the Bears, his sixth of the season.
Cal will turn to their veteran team members in this weekend's matchup with Saint Mary's. Leading the team are experienced senior forwards Jack Manzo, Max Murphy, Jason Severance, and captain Sam Golla. Connecting the forwards and the backs is another key upperclassman in the squad, senior scrumhalf Henry Poon.
Following a short break in the action last week, senior Nick Bloom will also be returning to the starting lineup this Saturday. Bloom has contributed 13 tries this season, including two against Central Washington and the game-winning try versus BYU. Junior Max Schumacher will also return to the field to add to his impressive statistical season. Schumacher has collected 115 points for the Bears this spring, with nine tries and 35 conversions in the Blue & Gold in 2022.
The Gaels have an undefeated record this spring, which includes notable wins over Central Washington (30-27) and BYU (60-29), both matches taking place on the road. SMC also defeated BYU a second time 39-28 at the beginning of the 2022 season in Moraga. SMC is coming to Strawberry Canyon following a win against San Diego State on March 19 when they collected a 41-4 final score on their home field. This weekend's contest in Berkeley will be the fourth match on the road for the Gaels this spring season, and the culmination of the 2022 XVs regular season for both teams.
The Bears and the Gaels last went head-to-head in Moraga during the truncated Covid 2021 season, when SMC outscored Cal 32-14 in the match. Prior to that, the two teams last met twice in 2019. Cal defeated SMC in both matchups, first 29-19 at Witter Rugby field during the regular season, and also at the D1A Western Regional Championships where Cal defeated SMC in Moraga thanks to a final-minute try by wing Sam Cusano. The Bears finished the contest with a score of 28-24 to take the victory and advance to the National Championships.
The gates will open in Strawberry Canyon at 11 am on Saturday morning. Tickets for the match can be purchased here. The match will also be broadcast on Pac-12 Bay Area for fans unable to attend.
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby/).
Players Mentioned
Wing
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Lock/Flanker
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Hooker
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Lock
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Scrumhalf
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Flyhalf
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Fullback
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Flanker
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Flyhalf
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