BERKELEY – California rugby will open the gates of Witter Rugby Field for the first time in 2026 as the Golden Bears host Cal Poly Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. The game is the first of four regular season home matches for the Bears this season.
 
Following a stint on the sevens circuit this past Fall where the Bears top team went undefeated and clinched three straight West Coast Collegiate 7s titles, in Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and San Diego. Cal traveled to UC Santa Cruz to open their 2026 XVs season on Nov. 20, where a young Bears side rolled past UC Santa Cruz 99-0 with 12 different players recording tries in the match. Sophomores Tom Archer, Max Paga, and Chris Biller scored two tries each, leading the Bears.
 
Cal Poly went 3-2 in fall XVs action, falling to Arizona (22-46) and BYU (12-21), but defeating Silicon Valley (45-10), Sacramento State (77-15), and Long Beach State (68-14), riding a two-match win streak heading into Strawberry Canyon on Saturday.
 
The Bears and the Mustangs last went head-to-head on Jan. 18 last season when the Bears rolled to a 57-14 road victory. Cal scored nine tries and six conversions, whilst holding the Mustangs to two converted tries. 2026 returners Solomon Williams led the attack, converting two tries, while Rand Santos added on one try, and six conversions.
 
The last time the Bears and Mustangs met in Berkeley was in the first round of the 2024 D1A National Collegiate Championship Playoffs, with the Bears besting the Mustangs 70-13 to move on to the quarterfinals.
 
Captain Rand Santos will lead the Bears and receive help from a supporting cast which includes senior stalwart hooker Cade Crist up front and reliable fullback Oliver Newall in the back. It will be the most important Cal match to date for new first choice players Alex Vieira, Brice Muller, Ryan Wenstrom, Seamus Deely, Oliver Teague, and Nate Comiskey, along with a reserve bench full of debutants.
 
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