Univ. of California 20 St. Mary's 5 (halftime: Cal 6-0)

(Moraga, California) Saturday's St. Mary's-Cal game vividly illustrates what America would gain if 10-12 colleges caught up to the Bears, not because the hosts won a taut 20-5 contest, but because they did not.

After Chris Biller's 61st-minute solo try broke open a one-point affair, Keegan Englebrecht's sideline conversion gave the defending national champions an intimidating two-score lead. But where most collapse, the Gaels had not yet crested, and by consequence both sides enhanced their title ambitions.

Only resolute defense mixed with two St. Mary's knock-ons inside Cal's five yardline, in the 67th and 70th minutes, settled the outcome.

The match of unbeatens drew an estimated 1,500, ringing the field sometimes 3 and 4 deep, and this year's Bears are not likely to again defend their line amid such cacophony as the west end of Pat Vincent Field. For US rugby, the important phenomenon is not that St. Mary's lifted its game before a home crowd, but that mighty Cal was forced to do the same in order to win on the road.

Such games change the question from which of the Bears should become Eagles to which collegians will follow in the footsteps of the newly minted USA 7s captain, Kevin Swiryn, who is just one year removed from starring in Moraga. If the league is good enough, then the standouts are old enough.

Saturday's match, played for the Northern California title and the top playoff seed, began as do many rivalries, with little rugby in the first half. Both teams played a man short -- Cal losing hooker Biller and the Gaels prop Pat Grass -- yet Englebrecht supplied all of the scoring with penalty goals in the 7th and 14th minutes. The Bears may have pressed several advantages more adroitly; the Gaels might have kicked penalties inside their own 25 to touch, rather than trying to run out of trouble.

The half's last sequence set the tone for the second period. Deep in St. Mary's 22, Cal looked certain to score, and though the ball popped loose from a breakdown, Dustin Muhn gobbled the pill and seemed to squeeze in down the right sideline. But the wing was ruled out of bounds, St. Mary's cleared its lineout, and the west end faithful roared hopefully.

They weren't to wait long. Four minutes after the restart, Tim Mappin Maupin intercepted Cal's midfield attack not five yards from his own line and galloped all the way across midfield before offloading to Austen Mount, who evaded the cover defense long enough for promising halfback Black McGahan to catch up and finish a stunning 95-yard scoring play.

The five pointer shifted the game's sentiment, if not the balance of field of position, for Engelbrecht's kicking often sent surging St. Mary's back downfield, where they consistently opted to keep the ball in hand.

Biller's try, amending the 19th-minute sendoff, originated from such a kick. After a St. Mary's lineout, the All-American rake pilfered a ruck and raced 30 yards along the right sideline for the apparent clincher.

There was no quit in the Gaels. Featuring centers Brendan O'Meara and Mappin, they consistently beat the defense by cutting inside and also rucked intelligently, with the evident purpose of creating better backline opportunities.

But running from everywhere has its perils, and at 79 minutes St. Mary's fumbled a tap move on its own 5. Flanker Kyle Balough pounced for a converted score that served as the game's coda.

Cal 20 St. Mary's 5 (halftime: Cal 6-0)

St. Mary's
Try: Blake McGahan

Austen Mount; Alec Tappin, Tim Mappin Maupin, Brendan O'Meara, Jake Holquin; Chad Clark, Blake McGahan; Nick Wallace, Andrew Cook, Pat Grass, Kyle Batten, Kelly Harris, Brandon Veddar, Rob Carlson, Joe Brophy
Replacements not available

Cal
Tries: Chris Biller, Kyle Balough
Conversions: Keegan Englebrecht (2)
Penalties: Keegan Englebrecht (2)

James Bailes; Dustin Muhn, Colin Hawley, Blaine Scully, Ryan Taylor; Keegan Englebrecht, Andrew Mase (Conor Ring); Sean Wilhelmy, Chris Biller (Neil Barrett), James Besser (Jim Barrett), Paul Jesseman (Julian Snellgrove), Eric Fry, Scott Kidd, Tom Rooke, Derek Asbun (Kyle Balough, Jason Law)

Referee: Bryan Arciero (Alberta and Canada)
Attendance: 1,500 (estimated)

Comments

[Really?]

There was no way 1500 people at this match. The place doesn't even have stands. Come on.

[derek]

We're you at the match? The crowd was a substantial draw of the rugby playing population of Nor Cal, teams from San Mateo to Santa Rosa attended. I'm not sure if the doubting Thomas was actually at the match or merely a virtual spectator.

[Privileged]

I agree with Derek, everyone who did not have a game in NorCal rugby was there. With the emotions involved you could tell that you were at a special event with a lot riding on it. That was one of the better college games I have ever seen, not from a technical standpoint, but from the passion that each side brought to the table. St. Mary's was throwing caution to the wind at every opportunity, effectively running the ball from everywhere, while Cal was clinical as always with their tactical kicking, rucking and coverage. Hopefully, we can see a rematch at Nationals.

[varsity model smackdown]

Hopefully this is the day that college rugby everyone realized if you work hard enough you can play with Cal. Hopefully the rest of the country follows suit and we can finally have a legitimate collegiate competition. Awesome. Oh and USA Rugby. Put your, I mean our money into the college game. NOW.

[AA]

Looked like a great day for rugby. Photos on the St. Mary's website show a great crowd.

http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/athletics/club-sports/mens-rugby/3212009.html

[ecm]

a ferociously contested 80 minute match. the gaels played their guts out as did Cal, which is a testimony to how strongly SMC brought it yesterday.
physically the Gaels were Cal's match; mentally, not so much, and that adv. in mental toughness accounted for at least 10 pts of the 15 final spread, IMO. Recognition must go out to Cal's forwards in the final 20 minutes tho-they really reached down into themselves to put Cal over the top.
as far as attendance goes, agree w/ the 1500 to 2000 estimate - there were a lot of people there, including what looked like Princeton's RFC, which stayed around for this game after SMC's 2nds/3rd beat them soundly on thurs, the Cub Scouts, BYU's head coach Smyth, and a good representation of most Bay Area rugby clubs.
for all intents and purposes, this will probably be the best college rugby game of the year, unless BYU can reverse the negative trendline of the past 3 years.
Hats off to SMC for making the Bears earn all of yesterday's victory...a truly stellar day of rugby.

[college rugby!!]

i'd pay money to see a video of this match. i wish teams uploaded their footage on usa rugby's media site

[ooppps]

Yes, but NO!!

What do teams have to gain, by uploading video of their matches for their potential playoff opponents to scout.

No I may be naive, but no coach that I am aware would want video of his team, warts and all to be traveling across the interest, with nothing to be gained.

This supposedly works in the RSL, because teams are "required" to upload their games. I would imagine that some teams may shoot a good cpo for their own use, and a second lesser grade version to be sent to the video repository.

[Huh?]

Cal played an mixed A and B side and still beat all that SMC threw at them. They are the best rugby side in the country. Period.

[STOP!]

Someone please amputate the lips from that old jackass playing the bagpipes at SMC matches. Enough already POPS! We are in the USA not Scotland or Ireland.

[Flynn Hagerty]

If you got a problem with a guy playing pipes at a Catholic college with a strong Irish-American representation, that may say more about you than the college.

[DAT]

In regards to Huh? You clearly didn't read any of CALs press before the game. There was no mixed side thrown on the field by CAL. Jack comments on how he will play his varsity 15.

Go to CALs school website and read Jack's quotes.

[cal supporter]

Cal supporter here.

The Bears have had a few injuries like all the teams, but that was our best team available on the field.

Cal didn't play well and some of the credit for this goes to a really talented SMC team.

This was a game that either team could have won. St Marys deserves much credit for their performance.

Cal should also be proud of winning a game against a good team, not playing as well as they would have hoped.

This was a really good day for college rugby. Both the Bears and the Gaels deserve props.

The event was also cool. Fly over, bag-pipes, lots of fans. College rugby looked pretty damn good on this day.

[ecm]

disagree about mixed -A & B side: that was Cal's A side out there on Saturday. Cal wasn't leaving that game to the b-side, not with the playoff implications at stake..do agree though about the Bears remaining the best side in the country. Only when the Cal scrumhalf got hurt did the Bears dip down into the B-side & the Bears B-side scrumhalf is a pretty talented, quick, & crafty player (although he looked overmatched at times with the pace & physicality on display on Sat). Think about it though-the Gaels played Cal to an equal level for approx 70 of the first 80 minutes...but the David vs. Goliath discrepancy between these 2 programs couldn't be more illuminating-SMC a private school w/ an approx men's pop of 500 heads to draw a club rugby team from vs. cal bears, arguably California's leading public institution, undergrad population 20K, undeniable collosus of college rugby. it speaks incredibly well of the Gaels program that they could hang w/ Cal & bring it to them the way they did. I've seen plenty of Cal games over the past 5 years & I haven't seen the Bears held out of their own in-goal 3-4-5 times from 5 meter lineouts--those are usually automatic Cal tries...nor have I seen Cal held to 20 points, at least 10 of which were SMC gifts from errors. If SMC doesn't make mistakes...well who knows, but Cal, like an excellent counter-puncher, still turns mistakes into points faster than any side out there. those mistakes kept SMC from winning what was--almost unthinkably-- a winnable game.

[college rugby!!]

oops,

they have everything to gain. Video drives sports. The fact that no one ever gets to see matches let alone highlights of these matches is holding college rugby back. If everyone did it it would be fine as far as your concerns and a lot more fans would be gained.

[family feud]

Does anyone know why Tim O'brien (St. Mary's) and Jack Clark/Billups hate each other? Bruce Mclane said it on ARN. Former Cal guys have feud? Thats got to be a good story.

[cal supporter]

I called JC and asked. He said he didn't know what McLane was talking about.

I think its just Brucey having diarrhea of the mouth again. Although these guys are competitors for the top spot so its likely not a love fest.

[I was there]

Cal really owned the first 40 minutes on the match. They botched two easy trys, which resulted in their two penalty kicks. The Gaels were lucky to not get carded from infractions on their goal line. Ref wasn't that good.

St Marys did well to fight back, but the half ended on the St Marys line again, where Cal was met with good defense from the Gaels.

It was all Cal into the wind in the first half, but they should have come away with more points. They took a few scrum balls away from St Marys and had their way in the lineouts.

The second half was far more even. Cal went right back to work and was camped out of the St Marys try line, when the FH threw what turned out to be a 95 meter intercept pass. The SM outside center was fast, but Cal reeled him in and he offloaded for the score. 6-5, 50 minutes into the match. This really helped SM, as they played much better from this point on.

The scrum turned around where the Gaels pushed Cal and the Bears kicked way too much. St Marys looked fitter as the match went on. St Marys had several good shots at trys, but came away empty from mostly knock-ons. I thought more to do with them, than great Cal defense.

Cal worked their way into the SM half and drove a lineout, where the hooker ended up in a break away for the try that sealed the match.

Cal's last try was a bit lucky. SM tapped a penalty just inside their own 22 and turned over the ball for a 7 pointer.

Two different halves really. Cal was by their standards poor on the day. SMC played harder than Cal. SM only points came from a 95m interception. Cal getting held to two trys is the best compliment to SMC.

[survey says family feud]

Well ive heard it from more than just bruce. thats for sure. so im sure it isnt nothing.

[I was there]

I think the SMC boys want to knock off the camps. Not liking them likely helps with the goal.

Doesn't everyone want to knock off Clark and Cal. The Canadians, the SL champs, BYU, St Marys...everyone?

After the match, it was all smiles and handshakes, between players and coaches, so make of it want you want.

[good for the game]

I think its fantastic to have a good college rugby game, played by two fine teams. Its not just good for the sport, its good for the teams as well.

Just stop and think for a minute how playing these types of matches will help both teams.

I wonder who it helps more. Does Cal benefit more than anyone one else from good competition? Maybe.

[Hoodwinkle]

I heard the family feud goes back to when Jack was thinking about taking the Bath job, and asked Tim to take over coaching the Cal team. But with the proviso that when Jack returned, Jack would take the team back. Tim apparantly thought it was rank of Jack to only consider Tim as being good enough to be a caretaker coach.

That's what I heard.

[in the know]

Fantasy Hoodwinkle, pure fantasy. Billups was already on board at Cal then. It would have been Tom's show, but you've got a really good imagination.

Besides I don't think JC dislikes O'Brien. They are just competitors. Nobody likes losing.

[J v T]

When Tim was running Old Blues Jack didn't allow Cal grads to play with the team and that was the final straw in the always tense relationship between these two. Old Blues folded and Tim took the foundation money from the club to St Mary's. That money is what paid for their new field.

[jealousy ?]

Listen to yourself, "Jack didn't allow Cal grads". Now the man has some sway, but once the students are graduated I think they're free to move around the country. Find a job, find a girl, get married, play a little rugby for the local club side.

The Old Blues collapse wasn't pretty in the end. They were training on asphalt in front of a department store. Team morale was poor. The Super League nearly broke the thin Old Blues bank. The Old Blue Tongans who were the heart of the team just couldn't afford to play. Not a happy chapter in the OB coaching frame.

I think if there's a rift, its more on OB's end. Envious, jealousy who knows. What college coach doesn't want to beat Cal.

[yea]

This much is true. Tim OB is the best coach in the country. No question.

[AP]

It was a great game, the flyover was awesome! I don't know how they got that done. The SMC centers were really playing well. Both of them were stars in HS rugby, now they have been coached up to a higher level. I also thought that the SMC forwards scrummaged at a very high mark.

I cannot say how many people were there. I posted up with some friends at the 22m line, and folks were 3 deep at least behind me. Truly a great rugby day.

[Hoodwinkle]

In the Know.

Just telling you what I heard. It came from a good source. For the record I don't care what their problems are, none of my business.

Interesting comment about Tim using the Munson Fund for St Marys.

[Is St. Mary's really a Youth Initiative??]

Well, we should probably remember that one of the Directors of the Munson B Everett Memorial Fund is an assistant coach at St. Mary's these days, so I wonder why it should come as any surprise that the Funds were "redirected" to support the "youth rugby" initiative that it was originally intended.

I wonder how many people that contributed to the Munson Fund over the years are now left scratching their heads....

At least it is a reasonable field these days!

[ecm]

dispute above post: 2 Sunday's ago SMC's Pat Vincent Field was divided into quarters & used by Lamorinda's U-8s & U-10s against Diablo RFC for a whole bunch of simultaneous matches - there was no mistaking who was on the pitch(es), it was definitely the youth: 64 clumping molecules bumping into each other for 20 minutes (x) 3 matches per side. so I don't think it should be said that youth don't also use PV Field - they do & did.

[yea]

apparently the St. Mary's flank went nuts at some point because of an alleged racial slur used during the match? Anyone know or can confirm?

[BYU Rugby Forever]

Goodness knows BYU does!

[BYU Rugby Forever]

... the previous comment was mean to respond to the question, "what college team doesn't want to beat Cal?"

[Racial Sledging]

Cal lets the N-bombs fly when they are under pressure and under performing. Been happening for years.

[really?]

Are you being serious?

[Yes He Did!]

Yes. Read about the racial slurs the hooker from Cal was dropping during the St Mary's match on erugbynews.com or americanrugbynews.com