Bears prepare for UCSB, San Diego Legion amid constant schedule changes
In many of Cal’s collegiate sports programs, the mantra of being the Bears, carnivorous mammals who ferociously defend their territory, is seldom lived up to. This is not the case with Cal men’s rugby, which has a long history of success and is currently riding a 16-game winning streak.
The program recently received the Ned Anderson Family Rugby Lock Endowment, a $250,000 endowment from Cal’s fifth rugby head coach Ned Anderson, a longtime supporter and hall of fame member of the program.
Coming off of a near-perfect showing and a 15th consecutive Dennis Storer Classic win to begin the spring season, Cal men’s rugby showed no signs of rust or slowing down after its undefeated, championship-winning fall season.
The Bears saw their next home contest against Santa Clara postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases, which is seemingly the only thing that can stop them from dominating their opposition multiple times a week. They are currently working to reschedule the matchup against the Broncos from its original date of Jan. 22.
This has been far from the only curveball that Cal’s schedule has seen, as both Cal’s home and road contests against UBC in February were canceled.
Luckily, the Bears will not have to travel anywhere, as their next matchup will take place at Witter Rugby Field on Jan. 29. In doing so, the Bears will host the originally scheduled UC Santa Barbara, along with the late addition of the San Diego Legion Academy U23 Team.
UC Santa Barbara is a familiar face for this Bears team, as the Bears beat down the Gauchos 36-0 in the fall season. A clear underdog, UCSB will open its preseason with the tall task of handing the reigning champions a loss. In their last matchup, the Bears’ star duo of Max Clark and Max Schumacher put together a combined 17 points. Topped off with a perfect defensive performance, this 36-0 shutout featured an elite display of strong coaching and execution.
A far more intriguing matchup is the Bears’ game against the San Diego Legion Academy U23 Team, one of 13 Major League Rugby teams. Having been established in 2017, the Legion will be starting its fifth season in the MLR this February.
For a Cal team that has dominated collegiate competition, this could prove to be a unique challenge in many aspects. To avoid the possibility of an upset or trap game, the Bears must be on their A-game in executing the game plan.
In their quest to win the Pac 15s championship this spring, the Bears will be led by head coach Jack Clark, who has won the title an impressive 24 times. With championships being an expectation of this program, the prospect of pulling off an undefeated fall and spring season is in sight for the Bears. Achieving this will no doubt put this year’s team down as another great chapter of a decorated program. The Bears will have a chance to take the next step toward doing so this weekend.
AJ Alany covers rugby. Contact him at aalany@dailycal.org.