National Championship No.29 for Cal Rugby in 15s!

California Golden Bears defeated Life University Running Eagles 55-38 in the D1A Championship Final on Saturday in Indianapolis, IN

The top spot in collegiate men’s rugby is again a Bear Territory!

In an eventful (and entertaining, particularly given the result) high-scoring contest, California Golden Bears (15-1) emerged victorious at the end of 80 minutes.

Cal’s 55-38 triumph over Life (14-2) is the highest-scoring national championship match in D1A history. Golden Bears lifted their 29th 15s national title, the 25th one under the guidance of head coach Jack Clark. Cal Varsity Rugby also has five 7s national titles, all achieved during the Jack Clark era.

The Rugby Network (if you make a free account) has the full replay of this championship final match: link.

It was a chaotic first half with seven lead changes as Cal and Life traded scores. Cal struck first with a penalty kick made by Filip Edstrom before Life scored the match’s first try (and conversion). Dom Paga scored Cal’s first try (conversion by Edstrom) before Life used rolling mauls to answer with two tries to take the 19-10 lead. That was just the first twenty minutes!

Cal got the next two tries: first with a slow and steady progression that resulted in an Oliver Kirk score. Then the Bears used a Rand Santos chip kick that Max Threlkeld chased down for a scoop and score to make it 24-19 Golden Bears.

While the expectation was that Life does not have as much breakaway ability as Cal, the Running Eagles scored a quick try after a player took a short pass into an elusive run into the try zone. That Life lead would be short-lived. Bears responded with a try from Emmett Cook, a fresh substitution off the bench due to blood, in the expected Cal style of a drive including several great passes (and catches). At halftime, Cal held a 31-26 lead.

Cal Bears found the try zone quickly in the second half as Masi Koi chipped-and-chased the ball within the first minute. What made this championship final great was that both sides fought hard for the full 80 minutes. Life U went back to their tried and true strategy of pounding the ball via their forward pack. Adam Chadwick scored three tries in this match for the Running Eagles.

Life took a 38-36 lead in the 62nd minute. But now it was Cal’s turn to claw back!

Cal sustained a drive with multiple phases inside the 22-meter mark. Bears’ discipline in not committing a turnover was eventually rewarded with an Oliver Newall try (and conversion by Edstrom) in the 68th minute.

Bears would keep attacking to get a Joe Kirsten try (conversion good by Edstrom) just three minutes later. Koi would score his second try in the 77th minute to effectively clinch the victory.

calvarsityrugby

A post shared by @calvarsityrugby

Freshman Filip Edstrom was named Man of the Match for his kicking (one good penalty and 6/8 on conversions). It does not take a lot of rugby insight to see that this was very much a complete team effort by the California Golden Bears. Seven different Cal Bears scored the eight tries, with most set up by multiple teammates’ efforts and skills. Golden Bears trusted one another to play as an effective unit for the entire 80 minutes.

"Very difficult game. There was a lot of resolve in both teams. It was punch-for-punch for 80 minutes," Clark said. "I was proud of how our guys stayed in the fight and figured out how to win. I'm especially proud of our captain Charlie Walsh. He willed our team through some really challenging periods this season, and he's now become one of the legendary Cal captains."

Time will tell if this is the start of another era of Cal dominance in the collegiate rugby scene. Golden Bears will surely return a lot of key players next year but also graduate several team leaders. The increase in parity in the last decade across the collegiate rugby landscape is generally good for the sport. Unfortunately, the current changing climate across higher education and collegiate sports overall has caused program like Central Washington (a quarterfinalist this year that lost to Saint Mary’s) to drop their sponsorship of the sport. That is a discussion for another time. This weekend, we will focus on the great achievement that is another Cal national championship: the 105th team national title in Cal Athletics history.

Cal has a decent chance to add another non-NCAA team national title with men’s rowing. Across the Cal Athletics landscape, Cal women’s tennis is through to the Super Regional (top-16) of the NCAA tournament. Cal men’s and women’s golf (both with brand new head coaches) will begin NCAA Regional play soon. Cal women’s water polo, women’s rowing, and softball are also expected to make their respective NCAA postseasons. Individually, Cal’s Track and Field will also have national title contenders led by discus thrower Mykolas Alekna, who broke his own world record earlier this year with a toss of 75.56 meters.

---

Scoring Timeline:
Cal vs. Life
2:00 – Filip Edstrom 3
7:00 – Life 5, Life 2
15:00 – Dom Paga 5, Filip Edstrom 2
17:00 – Life 5
20:00 – Life 5, Life 2
23:00 – Oliver Kirk 5, Filip Edstrom 2
26:00 – Max Threlkeld 5, Filip Edstrom 2
29:00 – Life 5, Life 2
32:00 – Emmett Cook 5, Filip Edstrom 2
Half: Cal 31, Life 26
40:00 – Masi Koi 5
56:00 – Life 5, Life 2
62:00 – Life 5
68:00 – Oliver Newall 5, Filip Edstrom 2
71:00 – Joe Kirsten 5, Filip Edstrom 2
77:00 – Masi Koi 5
Final: Cal 55, Life 38

Starting XV:
1. Oliver Kirk 2. Cade Crist 3. Charlie Walsh 4. Hugo Schreuder 5. Tom Dixon 6. Dom Paga 7. Bryan Bogne 8. Ieremia Ieremia 9. Solomon Williams 10. Rand Santos 11. Masi Koi 12. Filip Edstrom 13. Max Threlkeld 14. Joe Kirsten 15. Oliver Newall

Substitutions:
Byron Finley (7:00), Emmett Cook (Blood Substitution 30:00), Oliver Teague (69:00), Michál de Beer (79:00), Cormac Saint (79:00)

GO BEARS!