Cal Rugby takes on Life for 15s National Championship on Saturday (4 pm PT)

Cal fans can stream the match with The Rugby Network subscription ($6.99 per month)

The best Cal side since the pandemic is ready to break the uncharacteristic drought for the storied Rugby program. Cal Rugby is seeking its 29th rugby 15s (34th overall, including Rugby 7s) national title on Saturday in Indianapolis, Indiana. In Cal’s way is Life, a school and the obstacle that got the better of the Golden Bears at this stage of the D1A Championship back in 2018 and 2019.

The last Cal national title came in 2017 when the Golden Bears won the Varsity Cup (a separate competition that ran between 2013 and 2017 which was parallel to this D1A championship organized by USA Rugby). Since then, Cal has played for the national title three times, including two losses to Life and a loss to Lindenwood in 2023. The 2025 Cal Bears are hungry for a national title.

With a strong regular season to earn the top seed in the West of this postseason, Golden Bears got an easier path that allowed them to give some valuable postseason experience to younger guys during the 76-7 opening round win over Colorado State and the 74-45 second round win over Arizona. A rested Cal regular side then earned a 38-27 semifinal home win over rival Saint Mary’s. The final score was a bit closer than the match as SMC scored the last 12 points in the final 10 minutes (when Cal was a man down due to a yellow card) to still lose by a two-score margin.

The main regulars for the entirety of the Cal postseason run so far are the two “quarterbacks” in the middle - scrumhalf Solomon Williams and flyhalf Rand Santos. These two juniors were responsible for linking the Cal forwards with the backline. In Cal’s lone blemish this year, a tough East Coast match at Navy, Rand Santos was not available. Cal’s success this year can be attributed to improved skills in passing and catching. Golden Bears can play wide and use their outside speed to get into the try zone.

Solomon Williams ready to make a pass. [Photo Credit: RudyPics (via CalBears.com)]

Head coach Jack Clark’s men will be ready to return the program to the pinnacle of the sport. Captain and prop forward Charlie Walsh will look to lead the Golden Bears to that elusive title in his final match.

Of course, Life University will be a formidable opponent for Cal. The Running Eagles have not lost since a fall match at Queens University of Charlotte. They have run over the competition since with a 532-103 scoring margin in their last nine games. Goff Rugby Report got Life ranked as the No.1 team nationally ahead of No.2 Cal. Flyhalf and Life’s captain Bradley Crane is a finalist for the 2025 Rudy Scholz Award (both Williams and Santos were semifinalists). They are coming off a dominant 31-7 win (it was 7-7 at the half) over Lindenwood in their semifinal. Their program has not won the national title since 2019.

It should be an exciting game that may come down to just one possession. The Rugby Network will have the Men’s D1A National Championship Final, but it requires a subscription ($6.99 per month).

D1A National Championship Final: Cal vs. Life

When: 4 PM PT

Where: Kuntz Memorial Stadium (Indianapolis, IN)

Stream: The Rugby Network (subscription needed)

ROLL ON YOU BEARS!

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Also playing at the adjacent field this weekend in Indianapolis is Cal Women’s Rugby. The club team Cal Women’s Rugby made their first 15s national championship final in history a couple of weeks ago but lost to Stanford (a club women’s rugby powerhouse). They have quickly transitioned to a Rugby 7s tournament this weekend.

Cal Bears are in Pool A with Western Washington and Air Force in the Women’s Challenger 7s. You can find the Friday matches below: including the Cal vs. Western Washington match in the end.

In the morning, Cal defeated Air Force 27-5. As one can watch in the video above, Cal also defeated Western Washington. Cal Bears have advanced to the knockout stage for the Challenger title on Saturday. Those matches will be available on YouTube.com/@CRAARugby.

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The last time that Cal Rugby won a national title, Robert Paylor’s life was changed forever.

Robert Paylor suffered a devastating spinal cord injury early in Cal’s Varsity Cup win over Arkansas State in 2017. He has preserved and exceeded doctors’ initial prognosis on possible movement. Paylor has since become a motivational speaker. His book Paralyzed to Powerful: Lessons from a Quadriplegic’s Journey is available for pre-order on Amazon. He joined the latest episode of Tell The Whole Damn World! earlier this week.