(Berkeley, California) Three fourth-quarter tries lifted OMBAC to a 36-30 victory over the University of California, waylaying the Bears’ hopes of upsetting the Super League champion a second consecutive year.
Replacement hooker Will Hafu’s 62d-minute score gave the visitors a 22-18 lead, soon swelled by a Riaan Hamilton seven-pointer. Cal wing Jason Lee’s second try of the afternoon brought the contest back to 29-23, before Jeff Hullinger’s touchdown effectively closed out the match.
First-half tallies by Joe Welch and Lee gave the hosts an 18-17 edge at break, but the students’ inability to convert third-quarter chances proved decisive. Once the Bears were held up over the line, once brought down just short, and once a likely Chris Gurecki penalty goal ignored for a lineout.
The San Diegans also survived two yellow cards, one in each half, to Hullinger and Mike French, two of eight national squad players in the OMBAC starting XV. Cal fielded two.
Neither team is likely to be overly happy with its performance in this “challenge match” between the 2006 Super League and collegiate titlists. Poor kicking and tactical mistakes, not always due to defensive pressure, were evident from the start. Both champions also struggled to get over the gainline, Cal number eight Louis Stanfill a notable exception.
OMBAC, for its part, looked most dangerous in the broken field, especially through a back three led by fullback Dave Burt. But incisive running from Hullinger and Brian Barnard was offset by the wing pairing’s lackadaisical defensive work.
Hullinger galloped to the game’s opening try, but shortly afterward the 2006 Brigham Young All-American was harassed by Lee into an end-zone fumble, leading to Welch’s score and a match tied at 7 after 15 minutes.
Test flanker Todd Clever, who shaded Stanfill as the best forward on the park, immediately put OMBAC back in the lead with a blocked box kick that he recovered for an easy romp to the line. But with Hullinger dismissed from the field, a splendid lineout move put hooker Chris Biller behind the defense and then Lee around the right-hand corner for the equalizer.
Chris Guercki then sandwiched penalty goals around Ghian Synman’s 39th-minute try.
There the score stood until Hafu punctuated his return to the States. In his most recent American game, in June 2006, the North Harbour (New Zealand) man’s last-minute swan-dive try upended Belmont Shore and rang up OMBAC’s first-ever Super League title.
Cal flanker Rikus Pretorius scored on the game’s final play.
The Bears return to action next week against Nevada-Reno, while OMBAC takes a week off before visiting Santa Monica in its Super League opener.
OMBAC 36 Univ. of California 30 (halftime: Cal 18-17)
Univ. of California
Tries: Jason Lee (2), Joe Welch, Rikus Pretorius
Conversions: Chris Gurecki (2)
Penalties: Chris Gurecki (2)
Chris Gurecki; Scott Kidd, Dustin Watson (David Poettcker), Gary Golding, Jason Lee; Chase Brogan (captain), Brendan Wright; Sean Wilhelmy, Chris Biller, Kevin Kroll (Ross Biestman), Eric Fry, Garrett Cross (Paul Jesseman), Joe Welch, Rikus Pretorius, Louis Stanfill
OMBAC
Tries: Jeff Hullinger (2), Todd Clever, Ghian Snyman, Will Hafu, Riaan Hamilton
Conversions: Dave Burt (2), Sam Gonzales
Dave Burt; Brian Barnard, Nick Hawkins, Riaan Hamilton, Jeff Hullinger; Sam Gonzales, Ghian Snyman; Mike French, Joey Brown, Troy Donoghue, Latu Paloka, Jake Stanfill, Anthony Chaffee, Todd Clever, Dan Payne (captain)
Referee: Paul Bretz (Northern California and United States)
Attendance: 1,500 (estimated)
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