California rugby has announced its schedule for the 2024-25 season, beginning with a pair of fall sevens tournaments before turning its focus to a full slate of 15-a-side action.
 
Now in its 143rd year in program history, Cal rugby is the oldest Intercollegiate Athletics sport on campus. Head coach Jack Clark enters his 42nd year as head of the program in 2024-25, while associate head coach Tom Billups is in his 26th season with the Golden Bears.
 
Cal will make its return to the pitch this October for a pair of sevens tournaments in Southern California. The Bears will participate in the one-day West Coast Collegiate 7s tournament Oct. 12 at Claremont before heading to the two-day version of the tournament in Chula Vista at the former Olympic Training Center on Oct. 26-27. Before the conclusion of the fall semester, the Bears will turn their focus to 15-a-side action with a preseason matchup at Long Beach State on Nov. 23.
 
Cal will open its spring XVs action on the road at the Dennis Storer Classic hosted by UCLA Jan. 18-19 in Westwood. The Bears have topped the annual preseason tournament for the last 18-consecutive years.
 
Cal will then return to Berkeley for a four-week homestand in which the Bears host a double-header with UC Santa Cruz and Utah Valley on Jan. 25 for the team's home opener. The Bears will then host former-PAC conference opponents Arizona (Feb. 1) and UCLA (Feb. 8).
 
The following weekend will be action-packed in Strawberry Canyon with a Saturday contest against Grand Canyon on Feb. 15 followed by a match with the University of British Columbia on Sunday, Feb. 16. This will be the first time the Thunderbirds have been to Berkeley since February 2020 when the Bears won 36-21.
 
The Bears will then hit the road for a pair of out-of-state matches, making a trip to the east coast for a clash with the U.S. Naval Academy on Feb. 22 before heading to Provo, Utah to face Brigham Young on March 8.
 
Following the Bears' road swing, Cal will return to Witter Rugby Field for a Homecoming/National Champions Reunion celebration March 15 as the Bears take on the Black Knights from Army West Point. Cal's regular-season finale will be a matchup with Saint Mary's in Berkeley on March 22.
 
Reserve-grade matches will be played against Long Beach State, Arizona, UCLA, Army and Saint Mary's.
 
The D1A postseason competition is slated to begin April 5 and will culminate with the national title match on May 3 in Houston.
 
"We appreciate having the UBC Thunderbirds back on the schedule and, even through all of this conference realignment, we are pleased to have highly competitive teams such as Arizona and UCLA as part of our schedule," Clark said. "Great to have our normal out-of-conference fixtures with the formidable BYU Cougars, defending national champions Saint Mary's Gaels and Grand Canyon University to test ourselves against. It will be great to visit old foe Long Beach State and host UC Santa Cruz and Utah Valley. Best of all, it's important to continue our rivalries with the excellence of the United States Naval and Military academies."
 
Kickoff times for home matches at Witter Rugby Field will be announced at a later time. Check back on the schedule page for updates. 
 
2024-25 Schedule:
Oct. 12 @ West Coast Collegiate 7s - Claremont
Oct. 26-27 @ West Coast Collegiate 7s - Chula Vista
Nov. 23 @ Long Beach State (preseason contest)*
Jan 18-19 @ Dennis Storer Classic
Jan. 25 vs. UC Santa Cruz, Utah Valley
Feb. 1 vs. Arizona*
Feb. 8 vs. UCLA*
Feb. 15 vs. Grand Canyon
Feb. 16 vs. University of British Columbia
Feb. 22 at Navy
March 8 at Brigham Young
March 15 vs. Army (Homecoming/National Champions Reunion)*
March 22 vs. Saint Mary's*
April 5 D1A National Collegiate Championships First Round
April 12 D1A National Collegiate Championships Quarterfinals
April 19 D1A National Collegiate Championships Semifinals
May 3 D1A National Collegiate Championships (Houston)
Home matches in bold; *Reserve-Grade Contest To Be Played; All home contests played at Witter Rugby Field
 
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