California Golden Bears Athletics
Saturday, March 8
Provo, UT
Noon PT / 1 p.m. MT
California
at
Brigham Young
Bears set for clash with Cougars on Saturday.
Photo by: Troy Jones
Cal Continues Road Swing At BYU
3/7/2025 9:00 AM | Rugby
Bears Head To Provo, Utah, Following Bye Week
BERKELEY – California rugby will travel to Provo, Utah for its second-straight road contest Saturday as the Golden Bears visit the Brigham Young Cougars. Kickoff is set for Noon PT / 1 p.m. MT at the South Field on BYU's campus. A live stream of the match will be available on the BYU Rugby YouTube channel.
Cal returns to action following a bye last weekend. Last time out, the Bears made the cross-country trip to Annapolis, Md., to take on Navy on Feb. 22. Cal shut out the Midshipmen in the first half and held a 3-0 advantage at the break, but Navy stormed back in the second half to claim the victory. The Bears created several scoring opportunities yet were unable to convert on their field position to score a try and lost the match 27-3. It was the Bears' first loss of the 2024-25 campaign and snapped an eight-game win streak in 15-a-side play.
BYU has put together a 5-3 record in XVs action this season. The Cougars picked up wins over Utah State, Colorado, Utah Valley, Utah and Weber State before falling to Navy, Saint Mary's and Arizona.
Cal and BYU last met in Berkeley on Feb. 10, 2024, with the Cougars besting the Bears, 53-26. Cal's four tries and three successful conversions were not enough to outscore BYU, which put up eight tries, five of which were converted, and one penalty kick. Eight of the Bears' first 15 in the contest are 2025 returners.
The Bears last made the trip to Provo on March 31, 2023. With the 2023 D1A playoff bracket already determined prior to the contest, Cal sent a developmental squad to gain competition experience. The young Bears fell to the Cougars, 50-14, managing to score a pair of converted tries in the second half after being down 19-0 at halftime.
Cal will look to bounce back after a tough loss against the Midshipmen, anticipating the return of U.S. international Rand Santos, who missed the contest against Navy due to injury. It is likely that he will return as the flyhalf, next to starting scrumhalf Solomon Williams in the midfield.
The Bears' backline could see some change with the continued absence of Oliver Newall, who had been having his best season yet as Cal's fullback before sustaining an injury against British Columbia. The juggling in the deep three could find a contingent of underclassmen in the starting lineup with freshman Masi Koi and sophomores Quinn Spieker and Emmett Cook as the two wingers and fullback.
Captain Charlie Walsh will lead his forward pack into battle against the Cougars, alongside standout hooker Cade Crist. Second row stalwart - Hugo Schreuder - is expected to be sidelined due to injury this weekend. In his absence, Tom Dixon is a probable choice to cover the second row, making way for freshman Oliver Kirk to have an opportunity for his first big start at loosehead prop.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Cal returns to action following a bye last weekend. Last time out, the Bears made the cross-country trip to Annapolis, Md., to take on Navy on Feb. 22. Cal shut out the Midshipmen in the first half and held a 3-0 advantage at the break, but Navy stormed back in the second half to claim the victory. The Bears created several scoring opportunities yet were unable to convert on their field position to score a try and lost the match 27-3. It was the Bears' first loss of the 2024-25 campaign and snapped an eight-game win streak in 15-a-side play.
BYU has put together a 5-3 record in XVs action this season. The Cougars picked up wins over Utah State, Colorado, Utah Valley, Utah and Weber State before falling to Navy, Saint Mary's and Arizona.
Cal and BYU last met in Berkeley on Feb. 10, 2024, with the Cougars besting the Bears, 53-26. Cal's four tries and three successful conversions were not enough to outscore BYU, which put up eight tries, five of which were converted, and one penalty kick. Eight of the Bears' first 15 in the contest are 2025 returners.
The Bears last made the trip to Provo on March 31, 2023. With the 2023 D1A playoff bracket already determined prior to the contest, Cal sent a developmental squad to gain competition experience. The young Bears fell to the Cougars, 50-14, managing to score a pair of converted tries in the second half after being down 19-0 at halftime.
Cal will look to bounce back after a tough loss against the Midshipmen, anticipating the return of U.S. international Rand Santos, who missed the contest against Navy due to injury. It is likely that he will return as the flyhalf, next to starting scrumhalf Solomon Williams in the midfield.
The Bears' backline could see some change with the continued absence of Oliver Newall, who had been having his best season yet as Cal's fullback before sustaining an injury against British Columbia. The juggling in the deep three could find a contingent of underclassmen in the starting lineup with freshman Masi Koi and sophomores Quinn Spieker and Emmett Cook as the two wingers and fullback.
Captain Charlie Walsh will lead his forward pack into battle against the Cougars, alongside standout hooker Cade Crist. Second row stalwart - Hugo Schreuder - is expected to be sidelined due to injury this weekend. In his absence, Tom Dixon is a probable choice to cover the second row, making way for freshman Oliver Kirk to have an opportunity for his first big start at loosehead prop.
STAY POSTED
For complete coverage of Cal rugby, please follow the Bears on X/Twitter (@CalVarsityRugby), Instagram (@CalVarsityRugby) and Facebook (/CalVarsityRugby).
Players Mentioned
Fullback/Flyhalf/Center
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Hooker
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Lock
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Front Row
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Back
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Fullback/Wing/Center
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Flyhalf/Center/Fullback
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Flanker
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Wing
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Prop
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Scrumhalf
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