Massive Top-Of-Ranking Clash as Cal Visits Naval Academy
Massive Top-Of-Ranking Clash as Cal Visits Naval Academy
Cal takes on Navy Saturday in a meeting of two of the strongest teams in DIA this season.
Navy swept through the Rugby East and it ranked #1 by DIA (and also in GRR's DIA rankings). Cal is ranked #4 by DIA and is #6 in the latest GRR DIA rankings. But Cal's ranking is a little difficult to confirm because they haven't played Central Washington; those two teams did both play Army and came away with similar results (CWU's was slightly better), and CWU's wins over Saint Mary's and UBC also point to them being very strong. Cal will be playing Saint Mary's and BYU after they take on Navy.
CWU plays BYU this weekend.
That's all to say this weekend's game is tough to pick and has widespread ramifications. The game, then, naturally, it The Rugby Network's Game of the Week and will be shown live (no paywall) at 12:30PM ET, 9:30AM PT.
And it seems like a no-brainer that these teams play each other, and Cal Head Coach Jack Clark agrees.
“We are really pleased to now have the opportunity to play a regular-season match every year with Navy,” Clark said. “We have nothing but respect for these Midshipmen.”
This weekend will be the first time in five years that Cal and Navy meet for a 15-a-side contest. The two programs have a long history of postseason matchups having met 14 times in elimination rounds since the origin of the national collegiate championships in 1980. The Bears and the Midshipmen met in the 1994 national championship finals set in the nation’s capital, where Cal won 27-13 to take the title. Cal and Navy last contested in the 2018 national quarterfinals hosted at Witter Rugby Field. The Bears scored six tries to secure a 33-27 victory over the Midshipmen and advance to the semifinals.
“We are delighted to welcome Cal to Annapolis.," said Navy Director of Rugby Gavin Hickie. "They have been the gold standard in varsity rugby for decades and we are looking forward to testing ourselves against the very best. We appreciate the significance of the challenge before us and we could not be more excited. We hope to have a large and noisy crowd supporting our Midshipmen at the Prusmack Rugby Center.”
This past weekend, Cal beat Army 31-14 behind a solid showing from center Max Threlkeld and flyhalf Nate Salter, who helped wing Oliver Newall to two tries. Navy beat Western Ontario behind the continued strong form of Lewis Gray and Matthew Thibodaux. Navy controlled possession 77% of the time and logged a 95% tackle success rate.
This weekend, the Bears will remain without co-captain Nathan Zylstra, who, along with center Will Shankland and wing Max Clark, is coming back from injury. Two players who suited up against Army, lock Mats Dodd and flyhalf Nate Salter, will also be held out.
Fullback Max Schumacher and No. 8 Alex Aguero will lead the side while Luke Freeman steps in at loose forward. Six underclassmen will feature in the Bears’ starting lineup, freshmen Cade Crist, Rand Santos, Threlkeld, and Newall, along with sophomores Kealan O’Connell and Ryan Marshall.
“The team is prepared and focused, this is another opportunity to take a step forward,” Schumacher said.
