For anybody questioning the dominance of the Cal 7s rugby team, this past weekend should serve notice that the Bears remain to be a force to be reckoned with.
After winning all six of their matches, four of which were shutouts, the Bears ran away with the PAC 7s championship hosted at Witter Rugby Field on Nov. 8 and 9, proving why they were the second-ranked team in the nation going into the tournament.
“Our performances kept building, and I was pretty pleased with it,” said head coach Jack Clark. “I think we played some really good 7s rugby, and there’s a lot to be proud of there.”
In pool play Saturday, the Bears shut out Stanford 41-0, Oregon State 31-0, Arizona 39-0 and then yielded just one try in their final victory of the day over Arizona State, with a score of 36-5. On Sunday, Cal easily moved past Utah in the semifinal with yet another shutout win, this time of 34-0.
After Arizona State defeated UCLA 17-12 in a close semifinal match, the stage was set for a rematch. The results did not turn out to be much different, however, as the Bears dominated the Sun Devils in both possession and physicality on their way to a 45-5 trouncing.
“We had the ball a lot and our possessions were good, so we didn’t have to play as much defense as the other teams,” Clark said. “If you have to play a lot of defense, you’re going to give up some points.”
As emphasized by Clark, possession of the ball in 7s is perhaps the most important key to victory, which explains why the Bears were so successful in all their matches. And with a collection of quick, shifty players who played together fully in sync, it only made it more difficult for opponents to stop them.
In the championship match against Arizona State, senior fullback and team captain Jake Anderson led the way for the Bears with two tries and a strong presence along the right side of the field. Working mainly in the middle of the field, senior flanker Alec Gletzer also added two tries.
“One of our biggest attributes of our team is that we are good passers and catchers of the ball,” Anderson said. “On a nice, dry, slick field like this one when we can keep the ball in hands and not turn it over much, we are really difficult to stop, and I think that really showed in all six of our matches this weekend.”
While Cal continued to pile on points, Arizona State refused to back down, as Peter Ondi scored a last-minute try to avoid a shutout. Regardless, the Bears appeared to outmatch the Sun Devils for the bulk of the match in almost all aspects of the game. By playing a nearly mistake-free game, Cal managed to take advantage of several Arizona State turnovers and turn them into scoring opportunities.
With the PAC 7s championship marking the end of the 7s rugby season, the Bears now turn their focus to the start of 15s competition in the spring. If their performance in 7s is any indication of how the 15s season will go, the Bears are likely looking at another successful run.
“While 15s is a different game, it’s still a good experience to grow players throughout the semester, and I think a lot of players took steps forward in terms of putting their mark on the team,” Anderson said. “That will really translate into 15s next semester, so it all helps being out there and competing together and growing the team.”
Contact Vik Waghray at vwaghray@dailycal.org.