Fun fact that all Cal tries were scored by forwards (the big ugly guys that get into the scrum), and the three tries in the second half were scored one apiece by the front row.
The first sanctioned collegiate rugby national championship happened in 1980 and CAL won (yours truly started on that squad). Over the years there have been a couple of different 'sanctioned' National Championship's for 15's. CAL always chose the one that provided the steepest competition, even if it was not the most popular. Then there is the7's National Championship which happens after the 15's season is over. While prestigious and fun to watch, the real Natty is for the 15's. CAL made Rugby a Varsity sport back in 1994 (if my memory serves me correctly) and they retroactively awarded letters back to at least 1980 because of the historical success of the program. I believe that CAL Rugby is the single most successful men's sports program in collegiate history. Roll on!
To go a bit deeper, Cal Rugby has been great for a LONG time. Cal players featured prominently on the US Olympic Rugby teams that beat France for the Gold medal in Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924, the last time that the 15's were included in the Olympics.
Rugby is currently back in the Olympics but it's the version called the 7s (only 7 players and only 7 minutes per half). The rational behind it is supposedly that it is much easier to host a Rugby 7s tournament within the two week period of the Olympics.
I think back in 1924, they either just played one or two matches of Rugby 15s and that was it. Not sure how qualification worked back then. USA were the surprise winner and earned themselves a European tour afterward.
And 7's is a TV friendly game. It's like a game of keep away and easier to follow with 7 players on each side versus 15. That's why the Olympic committee agreed to bring back rugby. 7's has a much larger TV audience than 15's.
No. Simple reasoning is that in rugby 99.9% of the players don't put their face into a tackle or players knees when they wrap. (Only the suicide guys do, and there are a few of them). Because faces are protected by helmets, tackling can be more aggressive without risking facial injury. Also, while both games are very physical, and there are plenty of big hits in rugby, in football it is an integral part of the game. Wrapping a guy to take him down gives him extra distance. In a game of 4 downs to get 10 yards, every yard is meaningful. Big hits to stop forward momentum is part of football. Personally I love it and to remove it would change the game to being almost unrecognizable from the days that I played. Are their risks involved? Sure. It's why you lift weights and train how to do things right.
To be sure, there are times you can use rugby tackling, but there are times where violent collisions are necessary to stop the ball carrier. It's hard when you are moving at game speed to make that decision. And then some guys are just hitters and some are not.
Fun fact that all Cal tries were scored by forwards (the big ugly guys that get into the scrum), and the three tries in the second half were scored one apiece by the front row.
Yay! Go Bears!!!
The first sanctioned collegiate rugby national championship happened in 1980 and CAL won (yours truly started on that squad). Over the years there have been a couple of different 'sanctioned' National Championship's for 15's. CAL always chose the one that provided the steepest competition, even if it was not the most popular. Then there is the7's National Championship which happens after the 15's season is over. While prestigious and fun to watch, the real Natty is for the 15's. CAL made Rugby a Varsity sport back in 1994 (if my memory serves me correctly) and they retroactively awarded letters back to at least 1980 because of the historical success of the program. I believe that CAL Rugby is the single most successful men's sports program in collegiate history. Roll on!
To go a bit deeper, Cal Rugby has been great for a LONG time. Cal players featured prominently on the US Olympic Rugby teams that beat France for the Gold medal in Antwerp in 1920 and Paris in 1924, the last time that the 15's were included in the Olympics.
Rugby is currently back in the Olympics but it's the version called the 7s (only 7 players and only 7 minutes per half). The rational behind it is supposedly that it is much easier to host a Rugby 7s tournament within the two week period of the Olympics.
I think back in 1924, they either just played one or two matches of Rugby 15s and that was it. Not sure how qualification worked back then. USA were the surprise winner and earned themselves a European tour afterward.
And 7's is a TV friendly game. It's like a game of keep away and easier to follow with 7 players on each side versus 15. That's why the Olympic committee agreed to bring back rugby. 7's has a much larger TV audience than 15's.
No. Simple reasoning is that in rugby 99.9% of the players don't put their face into a tackle or players knees when they wrap. (Only the suicide guys do, and there are a few of them). Because faces are protected by helmets, tackling can be more aggressive without risking facial injury. Also, while both games are very physical, and there are plenty of big hits in rugby, in football it is an integral part of the game. Wrapping a guy to take him down gives him extra distance. In a game of 4 downs to get 10 yards, every yard is meaningful. Big hits to stop forward momentum is part of football. Personally I love it and to remove it would change the game to being almost unrecognizable from the days that I played. Are their risks involved? Sure. It's why you lift weights and train how to do things right.
To be sure, there are times you can use rugby tackling, but there are times where violent collisions are necessary to stop the ball carrier. It's hard when you are moving at game speed to make that decision. And then some guys are just hitters and some are not.