After a thrilling 52-45 victory over Navy on homecoming weekend, California rugby will travel east for a duel with the Army Black Knights on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT.
 
Last Saturday, the Bears defeated a strong United States Naval Academy team, scoring eight tries by seven different players. Despite playing a man down for the final 24 minutes and two men down for the final 10 minutes, the Bears prevailed. Cal also honored nine former national championship teams during a halftime ceremony as part of its homecoming celebration and national championship reunions.
 
Cal last played Army on March 15 last season in Berkeley, a 24-19 win for the Bears. Returners Cade Crist and Masi Koi scored tries for the Bear, while this year's captain, Rand Santos, added two conversions in the victory. The Bears last traveled to West Point on March 2, 2024, a 27-14 defeat.
 
Army has put together an 8-2 record in the 2025-26 XV's season with most of its games taking place in the fall. The Black Knights have victories over Guelph (38-28), Walsh (59-3), Southern Virginia (51-25), Mary Washington (32-7), Mount St. Mary's (24-15), Air Force (52-7) and Penn State (55-14), and most they recently defeated St. Thomas 57-14 last weekend. Their lone losses came to Life (35-7) and Navy (21-16) in the fall.
 
"Here we go," head coach Jack Clark said. "Warrior Field along the banks of the Hudson is a difficult place to win. It is difficult mainly because Army is a really good team, but travel and potential foul weather mix with the proud opponent factor to make the entire proposition challenging. We will need to perform closer to our best to have a crack at winning."
 
The Golden Bears lineup is expected to be similar, but not identical to last Saturday. U.S. international Rand Santos will captain the Cal side and he will likely have Oliver Kirk, Cade Crist and Brice Muller with him in the tight-five. The back row could be in for changes, but Oliver Teague is likely to retain his place. Solomon Williams should pair in the halfbacks with Santos. Max Threlkeld will be needed in the centers and Oliver Newall at fullback.
 
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