Cal Rugby: Whose Scrum Axe?

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember Cal-Stanford 2001…oh nevermind, Furd forfeited.

“We take great umbrage,” said Cal rugby coach Jack Clark, in a written reply to [Stanford Coach] Boivert. “To suggest your forfeit is helpful to tradition, safety related, prudent or respectful is disingenuous . . . How dare you not compete.”

I love Coach Clark’s comments on the forfeiture.

“We carry the pride of Cal into that game,” Clark said. “I’m disappointed for (the players.)”

Boivert argues Cal has an insurmountable advantage over his own team.

“There is no parity between the programs,” the letter reads. It alleges that unlike most club teams, Cal “basically recruits the best players,” giving it a tremendous edge.

“Everybody would laugh at that, and would not take it seriously” the letter reads. “Well, this is exactly the situation in college rugby.”

A quick glance at the two teams, however, reveals the two have a striking amount of similarity.

While rugby does not have scholarships at either school, it enjoys symbolic varsity status at Cal, while the Stanford Web site touts the team’s $1,077,000 endowment that funds the salaries of 10 coaches (Cal has four) and trips to, most recently, Fiji and New Zealand.

It also says the team can help talented high school players gain admission to Stanford, something Cal can only do if players meet minimum UC eligibility requirements.

“That’s all about building a war chest of excuses,” Clark said of Boivert’s claims.

The letter states that Cal rugby’s varsity status is unfair to club teams. But except for the symbolic nature of the varsity demarcation, rugby at Cal is similar to most other club teams: salaries and travel expenses come from alumni support and extensive fundraising.

In his office filled with paraphernalia from Cal-Stanford contests that date back to 1908, Clark pointed out that the decision to forfeit came from Stanford’s players, putting Boivert in a difficult situation.

“You can’t force people to go out and contest what they don’t want to contest,” he said. “But this has to be about teaching people how to compete.”

The letter also requests that Stanford’s program play in the second division of the Pacific Coast region next year, even though the team was second in the nation just three years ago.

The argument for dropping down centers around UC Davis, one of the best teams in the league, as much as Cal.

“Our roster is nowhere as impressive as UC Davis’ current roster of three teams with very capable athletes,” the letter reads.

But on March 10, the same day Stanford decided to write the letter and request a change in division, it defeated Davis, 42-33.

“Cal has also offered to look at this game as a learning experience,” the letter read. “The Stanford players see no learning in being physically overrun and outmatched by a huge team, and views it more as a miserable afternoon.”

Clark said he offered to hold some of his best players out of the game in order to quell the Cardinal’s fear of injury, but Boivert said it would make no difference, citing Cal’s second team as “the second-best team in the nation.”

So, for now, the game will not be played for the first time in as long as anyone can remember.

“The attitude is ’let’s play in every sport we can win in, and if we can’t win, then let’s not play,” Clark said.

You got me. Who is scrum axe?

Odd, isn’t it, that Cal played Sac St last weekend while Stanfurd couldn’t play in the rain?

Sacramento State > Stanfurd!

I’m pretty sure I’ll be there on Saturday before heading down to Haas to watch the women’s team take on ASU. A great day to be a Cal fan!

Thanks for the comments, recs, and front-page exposure! Go…………..BEARS!

99-0 Cal!

IT.WAS.SO.AWESOME! I got some great photos. Post coming soon.

I was at the match with my 5 yr old son and his friend when a bunch of Cal Football players came and sat near us. Bryan Anger (P), Sam DeMartinis (OL), Georgio Tavecchio (PK), Mitchell Schwartz (OL) and Todd Huber (C – on medical scholarship). It was cool to see the guys supporting the rugby team. Go Bears!

The Scrum Axe battle was Cal’s last home game before the UBC game on Feb. 24th. The Bears have a six match roadie coming up.

The Bears will embark on a six-match road trip next weekend when they travel to Chico State to continue local play. A midweek match at Cal Maritime follows before California travels to the Las Vegas Invitational, where the Bears will face Western Washington and San Diego State on Friday, Feb. 12, followed by Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 13.

A local-play showdown at UC Davis on Saturday, Feb. 20, concludes the team’s itinerary before it returns home to host the University of British Columbia in the first meeting of the two-match series known as the “World Cup.”